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
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
The unfortunate wretch makes an exciting escape, killing her captor in the process.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 18 Feb. 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
The song's lyrics also leave no topic off limits, touching on all that made the band wonder and wretch, with a tongue-in-cheek approach.
—Derek Scancarelli, EW.com, 12 May 2022
Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 8 Apr. 2025
The unfortunate wretch makes an exciting escape, killing her captor in the process.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 18 Feb. 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
The song's lyrics also leave no topic off limits, touching on all that made the band wonder and wretch, with a tongue-in-cheek approach.
—Derek Scancarelli, EW.com, 12 May 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wretch
Noun
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Vineland’s repressive villain Brock Vond ends ferried to hell by two Eastside vatos locos, while the hippie father Zoyd reunites with his daughter at an anarchist family picnic.—
John Lopez,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Sep. 2025
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There are villains in every episode and the story uses them to showcase some societal issues.—
Joan MacDonald,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Mihály is a brute who mistreats his mother.—
Adam Solomons,
IndieWire,
28 Aug. 2025
-
Some are slow and heavy brutes that have tons of health while others are slightly but deal more damage.—
Gieson Cacho,
Mercury News,
18 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Labubu is a doll that resembles a monster, featuring a large head, sharp teeth and prominent eyes.—
Julia Gomez,
USA Today,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Four years later, when Pop Mart began selling Labubus on key rings, the toothy monsters began to be seen everywhere — and the phenomenon really has taken off lately.—
Fortune,
Fortune,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Texas is gearing up for war as a savage, flesh-eating fly appears poised for a US invasion and is expanding its range of victims.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
8 Aug. 2025
-
Often regarded by historians as a collection of savage tribes, the Scythians emerge as a pivotal force of the ancient world in this monumental history.—
The New Yorker,
The New Yorker,
30 Jan. 2023
Noun
-
The term Jab Jab itself comes from the French term for devil.—
Mankaprr Conteh,
Rolling Stone,
23 Aug. 2025
-
In Michelangelo’s Last Judgment a devil drags one of the damned to hell by his testicles (which sounds like heaven to me).—
Michael Robbins,
Harpers Magazine,
20 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Lawmakers in many states have changed the rules in recent decades to protect winners from being targeted by criminals and unscrupulous people asking for money.—
Safiyah Riddle,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Her Eco-Age consultancy, targeted by criminals and forced to close in 2024 after 17 years in business, had advised clients on industry developments, changes to government policies and practical guidance on how to avoid greenwashing.—
Luisa Zargani,
Footwear News,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Insist that the federal government deploy those resources to get the violent offenders who are killing, assaulting and robbing law-abiding citizens on the city’s South and West sides.—
Laura Washington,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Kentucky's persistent felony offender (PFO) law, enacted in 1974 and expanded in 1976, allows for enhanced sentences for repeat felony offenders.—
Quinlan Bentley,
The Enquirer,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Terrifying beasts, murders most foul, posh French zombies and a sequel to one of the most beloved sitcoms of all time.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
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The Mesozoic era was classically seen as a time when giant beasts ruled the skies, seas, and land.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wretch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wretch. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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