wretched

/ˈrɛtʃəd/

/ˈrɛtʃɪd/

Other forms: wretchedest; wretcheder

The fairy tale Cinderella gives us many examples of uses for the word wretched. Poor Cinderella had a wretched childhood, living in wretched conditions with a wretched stepmother. It would be enough to make anyone feel wretched, or absolutely terrible.

Wretched is an all-around unhappy word. If you're very ill, heartbroken, or riddled with guilt, you may feel wretched. This word is also used to describe awful living conditions. If your cabin at sleep-away camp is freezing cold and rat-infested, you could describe it as wretched. And if you truly don't like someone, you might call that person wretched — though maybe not to his or her face.

Definitions of wretched

1. adjective

   deserving or inciting pity
   “a wretched life”

   synonyms: hapless, miserable, misfortunate, pathetic, piteous, pitiable, pitiful, poor

   unfortunate

   not favored by fortune; marked or accompanied by or resulting in ill fortune
2. adjective

   characterized by physical misery
   “spent a wretched night on the floor”

   synonyms: miserable

   uncomfortable

   providing or experiencing physical discomfort
3. adjective

   very unhappy; full of misery
   synonyms: miserable, suffering

   unhappy

   experiencing or marked by or causing sadness or sorrow or discontent
4. adjective

   morally reprehensible
   synonyms: despicable, slimy, ugly, unworthy, vile, worthless

   evil

   morally bad or wrong
5. adjective

   of very poor quality or condition
   synonyms: deplorable, execrable, miserable, woeful

   inferior

   of low or inferior quality