as in villain
a mean, evil, or unprincipled person
the clerk was an ungrateful wretch who stole money from his employer's cash register
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Recent Examples of wretch
This mid-movie handoff dilutes the shock of how articulate the wretch proves in del Toro’s telling (the creature could barely speak in James Whale’s original Universal monster movie).
—
Peter Debruge, Variety, 30 Aug. 2025
Since then, he’s been a haunted wretch of a character: stoned, sullen, stuck with recurring visions of shooting his wife and himself.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 8 Apr. 2025
As Blake transforms into a swollen, oozing wretch who gnaws frantically on his own wounds, his family appears as glowing-eyed aliens, their words a jumble of indecipherable sounds.
—Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2025
The wretch was one E. W. Perera, a pivotal figure in the Ceylonese independence movement—and someone the narrator had celebrated growing up in Sri Lanka.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
The wretch in question has cut down one of the speaker’s spruce trees without his permission.
—Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2023
Had this poor wretch been well supplied with friends and money the result, as in numerous other instances, might have been different.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2023
Or would a wretch like me be saved by His amazing grace?
—Damon Young, Washington Post, 24 Oct. 2022
Peter Debruge, Variety, 30 Aug. 2025
Since then, he’s been a haunted wretch of a character: stoned, sullen, stuck with recurring visions of shooting his wife and himself.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 8 Apr. 2025
As Blake transforms into a swollen, oozing wretch who gnaws frantically on his own wounds, his family appears as glowing-eyed aliens, their words a jumble of indecipherable sounds.
—Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2025
The wretch was one E. W. Perera, a pivotal figure in the Ceylonese independence movement—and someone the narrator had celebrated growing up in Sri Lanka.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
The wretch in question has cut down one of the speaker’s spruce trees without his permission.
—Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2023
Had this poor wretch been well supplied with friends and money the result, as in numerous other instances, might have been different.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2023
Or would a wretch like me be saved by His amazing grace?
—Damon Young, Washington Post, 24 Oct. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wretch
Noun
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She's been gone for over 20 years, and so to win this for a soap opera, playing a villain, is really wonderful.—
Julia Moore,
PEOPLE,
18 Oct. 2025
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Not to mention Elm Street introduced a villain for the ages in Freddy Krueger, an instant icon played by Robert Englund, whose charisma was strong enough to shine through even the thickest makeup.—
Gwen Ihnat,
Entertainment Weekly,
18 Oct. 2025
Noun
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An extermination of the brutes in the Middle East, presided over by Obama’s successors, has been followed by a swift cancellation by Trumpian decree of the postracial age.—
Pankaj Mishra,
Harpers Magazine,
19 Sep. 2025
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Each fits into typical RPG classes — with Armon being the close combat brute, Harlow the magical crowd control specialist, Rafa the agile rogue, and Vex serving as a summoner who calls on minions to do the dirty work.—
George Yang,
Rolling Stone,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Frankenstein's monster is a tortured fellow who's not a big fan of flames.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
14 Oct. 2025
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The same trigger the player would use to shoot a gun is used to throw Poké Balls at unsuspecting monsters, and there’s never been a mechanic in a Pokémon game that feels as immersive.—
Ryan Gaur,
Rolling Stone,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
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And that friction — between soft and savage — is what keeps us going.—
Alma Rota,
Rolling Stone,
14 Oct. 2025
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Tenacious and savage Scrappy Rex is extremely formidable and robust with energy.—
Lisa Stardust,
PEOPLE,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Japan had its own landmark naming case in 1994, when a family’s attempt to name their son Akuma, meaning devil, prompted government intervention and a debate over state involvement in naming.—
Laura Sharman,
CNN Money,
14 Oct. 2025
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At that moment, there was no scene involving a devil, but that quickly changed.—
Marina Watts,
PEOPLE,
5 Oct. 2025
Noun
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As the trend becomes increasingly widespread, criminals are turning to faster ways to procure cars for racing.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
17 Oct. 2025
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Instead, two wannabe criminals, with their faces obscured by pantyhose, simply walk into the local art museum and rip the paintings right off the walls.—
Haadiza Ogwude,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The offenders will get young women to send explicit photos using similar blackmailing tactics.—
Molly Beck,
jsonline.com,
14 Oct. 2025
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If this is what’s happening, Durvasula advises talent leaders to figure out ways to keep offenders away from as many people as possible.—
Susan Caminiti,
CNBC,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 is a 57-inch beast that comes with Dual UHD resolution (7680-by-2160) with Quantum Mini LED brilliance and HDR 1000 for deep contrast and absurdly vivid color.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
16 Oct. 2025
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With one of the biggest horror movies of the year, Zach Cregger wants his upcoming prequel to Weapons to be its own beast.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
15 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wretch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wretch. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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