wretched

adjective

wretch·​ed ˈre-chəd 

1

: deeply afflicted, dejected, or distressed in body or mind

2

: extremely or deplorably bad or distressing

was in wretched health

a wretched accident

3

a

: being or appearing mean, miserable, or contemptible

dressed in wretched old clothes

b

: very poor in quality or ability : inferior

wretched workmanship

wretchedly adverb

wretchedness noun

Synonyms

• horrible
• terrible
• awful
• poor
• rotten

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 on the Web

That was a fine symbolic soundtrack for the numbing atmosphere after a game that epitomized a wretched stretch for the Royals — one that is threatening to define and derail a seemingly promising season. —Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 27 June 2025

That bubble prevents clouds from forming, meaning no rain, intense sunshine and wretched humidity. —John Annese, New York Daily News, 22 June 2025

His movies aren’t always directly about that wretched time. —Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2025

Then the dream warped into a nightmare, as some wretched souls began to freeze mid-step or drown in slush, while manic revelries raged all around them. —Literary Hub, 11 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English wrecched, expansion (with -ed -ed entry 1) of wrecche, adjective, in same sense, going back to Old English wrecc, derivative from the base of wræcca, wrecce "exile, stranger, despicable person" — more at wretch

First Known Use

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

wretched

adjective

wretch·​ed ˈrech-əd 

1

: very miserable or unhappy

2

: causing misery or distress

that wretched accident

3

: deserving of hatred or disgust

a wretched trick

4

: very poor in quality or ability

wretched work

wretchedly adverb

wretchedness noun