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
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
This mid-movie handoff dilutes the shock of how articulate the wretch proves in del Toro’s telling (the creature could barely speak in James Whale’s original Universal monster movie).
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 30 Aug. 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
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
David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 29 Oct. 2025
This mid-movie handoff dilutes the shock of how articulate the wretch proves in del Toro’s telling (the creature could barely speak in James Whale’s original Universal monster movie).
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 30 Aug. 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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wretch
Noun
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Yet if the Dodgers are to be cast as villains from the Book of Samuel, Toronto brought to the fight far more than pebbles.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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The family moved to Hollywood 10 years later, and Gene Lockhart worked steadily as a character actor, usually in avuncular roles, sometimes as a villain.—
NPR,
NPR,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
An extermination of the brutes in the Middle East, presided over by Obama’s successors, has been followed by a swift cancellation by Trumpian decree of the postracial age.—
Pankaj Mishra,
Harpers Magazine,
19 Sep. 2025
-
Each fits into typical RPG classes — with Armon being the close combat brute, Harlow the magical crowd control specialist, Rafa the agile rogue, and Vex serving as a summoner who calls on minions to do the dirty work.—
George Yang,
Rolling Stone,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Geryon who is metaphorically and perhaps in reality a monster is infatuated with Herakles, but the internal world of Geryon is so thoroughly inspected.—
Amber McBride,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Mundane loot like monster teeth and eyeballs all have different effects when paired with a basic attack, making for a mind-boggling number of combinations for how to dole out punishment.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
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That savage is now incarcerated for impregnating his own underage daughter.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
25 Oct. 2025
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And that friction — between soft and savage — is what keeps us going.—
Alma Rota,
Rolling Stone,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Its depictions of dancing devils and witches’ sabbaths are supposed to scare viewers straight, but writer-director Benjamin Christensen is also sympathetic towards the plight of medieval women persecuted for witchcraft.—
Katie Rife,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Oct. 2025
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The anime series follows a young man who can demolish fellow devils via a pullstring in his chest that transforms parts of his body into chainsaws.—
Jack Smart,
PEOPLE,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
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To suggest that another candidate’s supporters are criminals — particularly when that candidate is, by all measures, poised to win at least a plurality of votes in the city — does not seem like a recipe for earning New Yorkers’ support.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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Binance also lacked protocols — standard for financial services companies — to report transactions for money laundering risks, according to the Justice Department, and employees were well aware that such an oversight would invite criminals to the platform.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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While undergoing the months-long program, offenders participate in half-day programming and half-day work, school, or vocational activities.—
Kevin Dolak,
HollywoodReporter,
31 Oct. 2025
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The danger of restoring offenders has played out in less formal ways.—
Mike Hixenbaugh,
NBC news,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Why no mumblings of atonement for the predatory nature of capitalism itself, its core values and standard operating procedures no different from those of the beasts in the field?—
Henry Freedland,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
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The project recently won a Red Dot Design Award and miniature models of the giant beasts are on display at Singapore's Red Dot Museum until October 2026, where they can be viewed in more detail.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wretch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wretch. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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