1
as in horrible
extremely unsatisfactory
this report is simply wretched—you'll have to rewrite it
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in pitiful
arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust
a wretched lie
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3
as in bleak
causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer
lived alone in a wretched room in a run-down hotel
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4
as in poor
falling short of a standard
a wretched attempt at writing an original song
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5
as in unhappy
feeling unhappiness
she was wretched for weeks after breaking up with her boyfriend
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6
as in vile
not following or in accordance with standards of honor and decency
his wretched treatment of women earned him a bad reputation
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7
as in terrible
of low quality
wretched goods that aren't even worth half of what the store is charging for them
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8
as in pathetic
deserving of one's pity
those wretched souls who cannot even afford a decent roof over their heads
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9
as in miserable
deserving pitying scorn (as for inadequacy)
the pampered socialite complained that the only room available was in a wretched little motel by the highway
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wretched
Disneyland has dropped reservation requirements for the once wildly popular Oga’s Cantina six years after the wretched hive of scum and villainy opened to hourslong standby lines that forced the Anaheim theme park to hastily install a reservation system.
—
Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 21 Aug. 2025
The 1972 offensive had been wretched for AP, which was being regularly beaten by its main rival, United Press International.
—Gary Knight, Rolling Stone, 1 Aug. 2025
The wretched music alone is worth it, as is Victor Von Doom's henchman, who sounds like a little kid trying to impersonate Dracula.
—Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 25 July 2025
Understandably, the mood was light: The Marlins had just claimed their sixth win in eight tries and second straight series victory, while Alcantara — in his second start after a wretched first half of 2025 — just posted one of his best outings of the season.
—Cameron Priester, Sun Sentinel, 24 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for wretched
Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 21 Aug. 2025
The 1972 offensive had been wretched for AP, which was being regularly beaten by its main rival, United Press International.
—Gary Knight, Rolling Stone, 1 Aug. 2025
The wretched music alone is worth it, as is Victor Von Doom's henchman, who sounds like a little kid trying to impersonate Dracula.
—Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 25 July 2025
Understandably, the mood was light: The Marlins had just claimed their sixth win in eight tries and second straight series victory, while Alcantara — in his second start after a wretched first half of 2025 — just posted one of his best outings of the season.
—Cameron Priester, Sun Sentinel, 24 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for wretched
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wretched
Adjective
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Can a horrible 17-year-old turn into a 31-year-old person with integrity and empathy?—
R. Eric Thomas,
Mercury News,
16 Sep. 2025
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Can a 17-year-old horrible person turn into a 31-year-old person with integrity and empathy?—
R. Eric Thomas,
Denver Post,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The pitiful screaming of surviving family members can be heard.—
Paul Tilsley,
FOXNews.com,
12 Sep. 2025
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As del Toro sees it, Frankenstein’s pitiful creation has been cursed with life, cannot be killed (even bullets don’t stop him) and must face the same existential crisis that confronts us all.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
30 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Yes, there are good reasons to question NASA's long-term plans for the Artemis lunar program—the woeful cost of the Space Launch System rocket, the complexity of new commercial landers, and a bleak budget outlook.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
12 Sep. 2025
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That's rather bleak, while Charlie Sheen's life has just been bonkers.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Cutting carbs entirely can raise the risk of cholesterol, kidney stones, poor bone health, gut problems, and even cancer, added Stefanki.—
Caitlin Pagán,
Verywell Health,
11 Sep. 2025
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Before Wednesday’s game, people within the organization were optimistic about Helsley putting his tipping problem and overall poor pitching behind him, pointing to a clean inning Monday.—
Will Sammon,
New York Times,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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My research team works hard to keep the email addresses up to date, but executives keep changing their addresses to avoid having to deal with unhappy customers.—
Christopher Elliott,
Mercury News,
10 Sep. 2025
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But few seemed to leave unhappy.—
Jonathan Hawkins,
CNN Money,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The lingering effects of an incident so vile occurring within Burning man’s sweet bubble are bound to affect people for a long time.—
Denver Nicks,
Rolling Stone,
14 Sep. 2025
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This vile, heartless remark is completely unacceptable—especially from someone entrusted with our children.—
Amy DeLaura,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Yes, there are so much terrible stuff online.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Sep. 2025
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But that obviously terrible call compromised the integrity of that game last night, and that's something the sport should be looking to avoid.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The end of that era came slowly, through the pathetic collapse of Syria and Lebanon as functioning states, and then quickly, when Israel began touching Hezbollah in unexpected places.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
2 Sep. 2025
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Want the poop on this pathetic history?—
Brian Domitrovic,
Forbes.com,
30 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wretched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wretched. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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