1
as in poorly
in an unsatisfactory way
the whole hockey team played wretchedly that night
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in bitterly
with feelings of bitterness or grief
we're wretchedly disappointed in you for behaving so irresponsibly
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 wretchedly
The Eastern Europeans—Yiddish Jews, Kimmel calls them—were poor, wretchedly so.
—
Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wretchedly
Adverb
-
Davis did himself no favors with anyone with that performance, which anyone with an extensive TV background (which Davis has) should have known would play poorly on a nationwide scale.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
25 Mar. 2026
-
The camp is isolated and poorly resourced, and its traditions—including its conception of gender roles—can be painfully rigid.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
The approval comes as the parties are fighting bitterly over the policies of the Department of Homeland Security, leading to a funding lapse that is now in its 34th day.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
20 Mar. 2026
-
The bitterly cold wind chills will linger through the morning commute, then gradually improve this afternoon as winds ease and temperatures climb.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
16 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Of course, Hole himself isn’t averse to breaking bad, either.—
Jon O'Brien,
IndieWire,
23 Mar. 2026
-
There were no debates involved, no refs called in, no bad-mouthing.—
Julia Frankel,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Tarun would tease her, and my mother would look sorrowfully toward Kavitha, as if the two of them now shared some womanly burden.—
Madhuri Vijay,
New Yorker,
16 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
The strike caused an intense fire at the hospital, and officials have said the bodies of many of the victims were too badly damaged to be identified.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The Hornets had a chance to break the franchise record for 3s in a game in the final 3 but rookie center Ryan Kalbrenner — who rarely shoots from deep — badly missed from the corner.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
25 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
But, sadly, sometimes people do go leak classified information in those big settings.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Ride sadly passed away July 23, 2012, at the age of 61, following a battle with a terminal illness.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
29 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
These stock-heavy portfolios can leave people painfully exposed to downturns.—
Liz Weston,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Campbell’s script has both stylized and naturalistic dialogue, giving us a group of teens who feel painfully real in their inconsistency.—
Jourdain Searles,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
For their part, Democratic leaders spoke mournfully of limits, of energy shortages, of national decline, of a crisis of confidence itself.—
Rosa Lyster,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
-
Based on the Dylan Thomas prose poem of the same name, published in 1952, the film lovingly and mournfully depicts the boyhood Christmastime of an old Welshman, tenderly and a tad mischievously embodied by Elliott.—
Sheldon Pearce,
New Yorker,
21 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wretchedly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wretchedly. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
