wretch

noun

ˈrech How to pronounce wretch (audio)
Definition of wretchnext
as in villain
a mean, evil, or unprincipled person the clerk was an ungrateful wretch who stole money from his employer's cash register

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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 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
  1. villain
  2. brute
  3. monster
  4. savage
  5. devil
  6. criminal
  7. offender
  8. beast
Noun
  • There are no villains in Possible Love; there are only people who are aware of others, and people who are not.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2026
  • The former Democratic speaker was the longtime villain, a mainstay in ads as Republicans linked Democratic candidates to her to paint them as radical and out of touch.
    — James A. Downs, The Washington Examiner, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of villain
Noun
  • Most sportsmen wonder how any whitetail bucks, let alone a brute such as Kontras’, could have been so easily patterned.
    — Jeff Murray, Outdoor Life, 20 Aug. 2026
  • The show’s depiction of Hugh as a family man has been much more sympathetic than the book’s description of him as a power-hungry brute.
    — James Grebey, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of brute
Noun
  • Similarly, Zo — seen recently as the monster hunter in Na Hong-jin’s delirious sci-fi action epic, Hope — stays for most of the running time just the right side of smug entitlement.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Having created this monster, Hansen now has to feed it; going up against Lost, To Catch a Predator needs to best itself every week.
    — Damon Wise, Deadline, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of monster
Noun
  • One of the best Saturday morning traditions during college football season is not only watching ESPN's best program on the network, College Gameday, but seeing the hilarious, savage, and unique signs fans put together each week.
    — Jon Root OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Manson and his followers evaded police for months but were eventually arrested and charged in the savage slayings in December 1969.
    — Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of savage
Noun
  • In January, Watts was a guest on actor Rainn Wilson’s podcast, where Watts played devil’s advocate to Wilson’s skeptic about casual use of mind-altering substances.
    — Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Researchers have also documented the phenomenon in dogs, Tasmanian devils, and some kinds of clams and other shellfish.
    — Adam Cohen, Oklahoman, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of devil
Noun
  • Most crimes across Mexico went unsolved, and authorities sometimes appeared to be colluding with criminals instead of fighting them.
    — Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Keeping email, downloads and everyday web activity away from that machine reduces the opportunities criminals have to reach it.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of criminal
Noun
  • First-time targeting offenders do not receive any additional sanctions.
    — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Most of the offenders, too, appear to be delis and bodegas and fast-casual food carts, venues where quality is secondary to moving product quickly and cheaply out the door.
    — Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of offender
Noun
  • The Appalachian Trail is absolutely brutal The distance alone is obviously absurd, but mileage is only part of what makes the AT such a beast.
    — Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2026
  • An unlikely walk-off hero, a CGSO, all-around beast pitching, more lead changes than was probably comfortable … ugh, so good.
    — AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of beast

Browse Nearby Words

wrests
wretch
wretched
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Cite this Entry

“Wretch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wretch. Accessed 11 Sep. 2026.

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