wretched

Meanings

1. 1adjectivecomparable

   Very unhappy, miserable or unfortunate.

   Grammar: Describes people and their feelings: feel wretched.

   Patterns

   • feel wretched

   She felt wretched after losing her job.

   The wretched prisoners had no hope.

   I was wretched with a fever.

2. 2adjectivebefore a noun

   In very poor or unpleasant condition.

   Grammar: Used for places, weather and conditions: wretched conditions.

   The family lived in wretched conditions.

   The wretched hut leaked in the rain.

   The roads were in a wretched state.

3. 3adjectivebefore a nouninformalold-fashioned

   Used to show annoyance at something, as a mild curse.

   Grammar: Informal and somewhat dated: this wretched phone.

   Patterns

   • this wretched something

   I cannot find my wretched keys.

   The wretched car broke down again.

   Turn off that wretched alarm.

Word forms

Common combinations

wretched conditions

Workers lived in wretched conditions.

feel wretched

He felt wretched all day.

wretched poverty

They lived in wretched poverty.

wretched weather

The wretched weather ruined our holiday.

wretched state

The garden was in a wretched state.

Synonyms and how they differ

miserable

A very common word for unhappiness, and less literary than wretched.

pitiful

Emphasizes causing pity in others, while wretched focuses on the person's suffering.

dreadful

Describes anything very bad, and does not carry the sense of pity.

abject

Describes the lowest, most hopeless state, often of poverty.

Opposites

Word family

wretch noun

an unfortunate or pitiable person

wretchedly adverb

in a miserable way

wretchedness noun

great misery or poor condition

Commonly confused: wretched or retched?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “wretched”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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