Definition of wretched
1 : deeply afflicted, dejected, or distressed in body or mind
2 : extremely or deplorably bad or distressing was in wretched health a wretched accident
3a : being or appearing mean, miserable, or contemptible dressed in wretched old clothesb : very poor in quality or ability : inferior wretched workmanship
wretchedly
adverbwretchedness
nounExplore Merriam-Webster
Examples of wretched in a Sentence
The slums were filled with poor, wretched children.
I don't know what's wrong with her, but she looks wretched.
families living in wretched poverty
the wretched conditions of the refugee camp
How did we get into this wretched state of affairs?
What a wretched performance that was.
That movie was positively wretched.
Recent Examples of wretched from the Web
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Cuba’s party scene became an infamous stage for tourism at its most exploitative and indulgent, a wretched and poisonous case of bloat.
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After 13 starts, Colón has compiled a wretched 8.14 ERA across 63 innings.
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Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
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All of this noise has obscured the indisputable reality that without readily available care, huge swaths of this country will endure an increasingly wretched existence in which their basic survival is called into question.
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And no matter how wretched or tortured their situations, Klam makes sure that the portrait of male misery is a punchline rather than something to pity.
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Those who missed out on the chance to dine with the Oracle of Omaha likely comforted themselves with the thought that such a lunch is just wretched excess—
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Prominent French actors, lawmakers and others are appealing to President Emmanuel Macron to stop pressure on migrants again converging on Calais after the closure of a wretched camp that came to symbolize Europe’s migration crisis.
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Yet Western culture has been haunted for millennia by the wretched House of Atreus – cursed through the generations with fratricide, patricide, filicide, mariticide, and matricide.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'wretched.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of wretched
Middle English, irregular from wretch
WRETCHED Defined for English Language Learners
wretched
playDefinition of wretched for English Language Learners
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: very unhappy, ill, etc.
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: very bad or unpleasant
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: very poor in quality or ability
WRETCHED Defined for Kids
wretched
playDefinition of wretched for Students
1 : very unhappy or unfortunate : suffering greatly
2 : causing misery or distress wretched living conditions
3 : of very poor quality : inferior wretched food I have a wretched memory.
wretchedly
adverbwretchedness
nounLearn More about wretched
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for wretched Spanish Central: Translation of wretched Nglish: Translation of wretched for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of wretched for Arabic speakers
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