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
The first time, Julian’s children (James Corden, Jessica Gunning) seemed like miserable, greedy wretches.
—
Brent Lang, Variety, 11 Apr. 2026
The elegant sets and lavish costume designs are stunning, as is Jacob Elordi's multi-faceted performance as the intelligent wretch stitched together from corpses.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 27 Dec. 2025
Her expressions, her movements, her delivery — all of it makes Carol more complex than just a miserable wretch.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 3 Dec. 2025
Only Martin — cast as a Dickensian wretch by Bonitzer’s legion of myopic elites, but always quietly acting against type — reserves the right to determine his own worth.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 29 Oct. 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
Brent Lang, Variety, 11 Apr. 2026
The elegant sets and lavish costume designs are stunning, as is Jacob Elordi's multi-faceted performance as the intelligent wretch stitched together from corpses.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 27 Dec. 2025
Her expressions, her movements, her delivery — all of it makes Carol more complex than just a miserable wretch.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 3 Dec. 2025
Only Martin — cast as a Dickensian wretch by Bonitzer’s legion of myopic elites, but always quietly acting against type — reserves the right to determine his own worth.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 29 Oct. 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wretch
Noun
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Similarly, Sage’s (Susan Heyward) reverse heel turn and Ashley’s (Colby Minifie) life-saving assistance in the West Wing are apparently good enough deeds to spare these savory villains a more commensurate sentence.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
20 May 2026
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John Boyega's ex-Stormtrooper Finn and Han are brothers from another mother, Oscar Isaac's pilot Poe is as cool and refreshing as a tall glass of blue milk, and Adam Driver's Kylo does his best Vader impression as a maniacal villain with some serious emotional issues.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
20 May 2026
Noun
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Even the consumer-level codes that encrypt your online banking are so hard to break that every computer on the planet working together would need longer than the age of the universe to brute-force them apart.—
David M. Ewalt,
Scientific American,
19 May 2026
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Oscillating between a bumbling brute and an ironic ignoramus, Marvel Studios sees the God of Thunder more like the God of Blunder, kicking out the knees of the steady 2011 film in favour of single-digit IQ humour.—
Sergio Pereira,
Space.com,
6 May 2026
Noun
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But on a night when Carson Benge was robbed of extra bases twice and Luis Torrens once, his monster mash was especially impressive.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
23 May 2026
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Thus Director Park will likely be mulling over the sprawling monster sci-fi Hope, by his countryman Na Hong-Jin, and possibly Léa Mysius’s thriller-romp The Birthday Party, which contains a lot of Park’s trademark black humor.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
23 May 2026
Noun
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Smoothbrain libs and savages can KMA.—
Joe Kinsey OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
18 May 2026
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Yet the car was also a burden, with high monthly interest payments, which put savage masculinity at odds with paternal liability.—
Weike Wang,
New Yorker,
17 May 2026
Noun
-
Angels and devils working together to stop Armageddon.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
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This is the aforementioned devil’s chair.—
Jaclyn Cosgrove,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
Noun
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The lead about the contraband came via Eric Harper (Joe Delfin), the criminal who shivved Lena's old friend Yancey (Kieron River) a few episodes back.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 May 2026
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Ben-Gvir, in addition to being an authoritarian racist, is a bona fide criminal.—
Avi Issacharoff,
The Atlantic,
22 May 2026
Noun
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Locations are chosen based on impaired-driving crashes, and first-time DUI offenders face average fines and penalties of $13,500.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
15 May 2026
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The governor had publicly questioned whether Peters’ nine-year sentence was too hard for a first-time, nonviolent offender.—
Claire Carter,
The Washington Examiner,
15 May 2026
Noun
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The pair finished up with Colbert sending a congratulatory cake from the network – a multi-layered wedding-style beast – sailing downward.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
15 May 2026
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Everything about it elevates those themes of beauty and the beast within the city, within the culture, within what’s happening, and even within the heroes — that everyone is fighting this battle, even inside their own hearts at times.—
Mark Hughes,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wretch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wretch. Accessed 25 May. 2026.
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