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
Tell me the wretched truth about America, because that speaks to our greatness.
—
Dominic Patten, Deadline, 1 Apr. 2025
The longtime Red Sox pitcher and current NESN analyst unloaded on Devers after his wretched season-opening series against the Rangers.
—Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2025
The ones who weren’t downright frauds were only cracked and wretched old women with delusions.
—Charles Portis, Harper's Magazine, 28 Feb. 2025
In a year when the Amy Winehouse movie Back to Black showed just how wretched musical biopics can sometimes be, most critics and ticket-buyers seem pleased with James Mangold’s look at Bob Dylan’s early years in A Complete Unknown.
—Jordan Hoffman, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for wretched
Dominic Patten, Deadline, 1 Apr. 2025
The longtime Red Sox pitcher and current NESN analyst unloaded on Devers after his wretched season-opening series against the Rangers.
—Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2025
The ones who weren’t downright frauds were only cracked and wretched old women with delusions.
—Charles Portis, Harper's Magazine, 28 Feb. 2025
In a year when the Amy Winehouse movie Back to Black showed just how wretched musical biopics can sometimes be, most critics and ticket-buyers seem pleased with James Mangold’s look at Bob Dylan’s early years in A Complete Unknown.
—Jordan Hoffman, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for wretched
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wretched
Adjective
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One of our group hunted it on a rainy afternoon — traditionally a horrible time to bag a bird — and killed a 3-year-old tom. —A.M. Don’t Become Overly Reliant on Your Cameras Cameras aren’t magic.—
Andrew McKean,
Outdoor Life,
1 May 2025
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Big, wonderful, funny, horrible, strange, sad, great life.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
1 May 2025
Adjective
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Look, everyone points to injuries as the reason for the pitiful performance so far this season, but a lot of teams are dealing with injuries.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
21 Apr. 2025
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So many of the latter comes thanks to Niecy Nash’s Nurse DiDi, who seems to take the time to see her patients as worthwhile much more often than her cohorts, the self-important Dr. Jenna James (Laurie Metcalf) and pitiful nurse Dawn (Alex Borstein).—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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This bleak vision of Hollywood makes for a fascinating backdrop.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
5 May 2025
-
But Trump and his aides are now actively trying to impede this reporting and intimidate news outlets, creating a bleak backdrop to the UN’s recognition of Saturday as World Press Freedom Day.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
3 May 2025
Adjective
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Consumer spending softened, increasing 1.8%, down from a 4% rise in the fourth quarter, but a decent performance in light of stock market turmoil and poor weather early in the quarter.—
Paul Davidson,
USA Today,
1 May 2025
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Still, some of the behavioral risks resemble sports betting, including the potential for addiction, poor money management and loss chasing, unrealistic expectations of success, and inappropriate reactions to negative results.—
Dan Bernstein,
Sportico.com,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Kraft had strong leads among some voting groups polled, the poll showed, including Republicans, voters who disapprove of Boston’s sanctuary city status, those unhappy with Boston’s quality of life, and those prioritizing government spending/taxes.—
Grace Zokovitch,
Boston Herald,
1 May 2025
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Sonya can be competitive about who is more unhappy.—
Jason Zinoman,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The Imperial City Sewers you’re meant to traverse while learning the basics of the game look hideous and vile.—
Jamal Michel,
New York Times,
29 Apr. 2025
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While he’s gone, Louise really does give it the ol’ college try with Dane, who hurls threats, vile insults, and more threats in her direction.—
Sara Netzley,
EW.com,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Such legislation is meant to destabilize Pakistan’s internal politics, which is in no one’s interests, except those who promoted such a terrible idea in the first place.—
Christopher Shays,
New York Daily News,
10 May 2025
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Transgender kids, especially under the current president, are facing terrible rights losses and bigotry.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
10 May 2025
Adjective
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Kenney-Silver delivers a touchingly nuanced performance as Anne, balanced on the fine line between sad as in devastated and sad as in pathetic.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
1 May 2025
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Marathon needs to be given every possible chance to succeed and making Bungie crunch to fix things and throwing it into the wolves as a fall release (one that’s literally on the same day as Borderlands 4, mind you) would be a pathetic excuse for support.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
28 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wretched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wretched. Accessed 13 May. 2025.
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