1
as in horrible
extremely unsatisfactory
this report is simply wretched—you'll have to rewrite it
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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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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of wretched
Bummer enough the wretched weather here kept them from returning Sunday night.
—
Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 6 Jan. 2025
Last season the Red Sox blew 31 saves, second most in MLB behind only the wretched White Sox.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 1 Jan. 2025
Ross’ novel approach tells Whitehead’s tale, based on true events, about two young Black men stuck in a wretched juvenile Florida reformatory school, the site of relentless and sometimes fatal abuse.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 31 Dec. 2024
The franchise endured three wretched seasons before emerging as upstarts in 2022 and winning the American League East in 2023.
—The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for wretched 
Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 6 Jan. 2025
Last season the Red Sox blew 31 saves, second most in MLB behind only the wretched White Sox.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 1 Jan. 2025
Ross’ novel approach tells Whitehead’s tale, based on true events, about two young Black men stuck in a wretched juvenile Florida reformatory school, the site of relentless and sometimes fatal abuse.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 31 Dec. 2024
The franchise endured three wretched seasons before emerging as upstarts in 2022 and winning the American League East in 2023.
—The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for wretched
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wretched
Adjective
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Recommended Trump moves from ‘American carnage’ to ‘a horrible betrayal’ in second inaugural Juries also convicted some on charges of seditious conspiracy, which refers to activities that undermine a state without directly attacking it.—
Patrik Jonsson,
The Christian Science Monitor,
24 Jan. 2025
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Traffic was horrible and the private crews can’t turn on a siren, ignore traffic laws, and drive on the wrong side of the road like public firefighters.—
Joseph Bien-Kahn,
Rolling Stone,
24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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This isn’t to say Orlok isn’t evil, but that his evilness does not exclude him from being pitiful.—
Alex Abad-Santos,
Vox,
10 Jan. 2025
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Perhaps this weekend can be a get-right game against the pitiful New York Jets, but there’s not much to be excited about.—
Fox News Staff,
Fox News,
13 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Matt Harrison, president of Kuka Home North America, which has a furniture manufacturing base in Monterrey, fears the future could be bleak.—
David Culver,
CNN,
18 Jan. 2025
-
The negotiations have seemingly stalled and the market for him is bleak.—
Yaakov Katz,
Newsweek,
16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The Texans’ offensive line was mostly poor this season, unable to consistently protect Stroud.—
The Athletic NFL Staff,
The Athletic,
24 Jan. 2025
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Understand that poor sleep hygiene can negatively impact the quantity and quality of sleep.—
Dominique Fluker,
Essence,
24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Saquon Barkley is an unstoppable force, the defense is resurgent under Vic Fangio, the chatter about an unhappy A.J. Brown has mostly died down.—
Dianna Russini,
The Athletic,
16 Jan. 2025
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Ratings declined, Lynch was unhappy, and the show was canceled.—
Victoria Edel,
People.com,
16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Alexander Basara and his fiancée, Ally Keller, attended Sunday’s game in Philadelphia, but their experience supporting their team was soured when an Eagles fan, identified as Ryan Caldwell, lashed out at Keller and Basara in a vile tirade.—
Paulina Dedaj,
Fox News,
17 Jan. 2025
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The vile act prompted Hodges to snatch a plastic bottle and hurl it at the suspect, who dodged the drink and then drew a knife, the deli worker said.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
3 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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While this is terrible for the environment, customer satisfaction, and retailers’ bottom lines, the truth is the industry has created a monster and easy and free returns have become the basic consumer expectation.—
Steve Dennis,
Forbes,
22 Jan. 2025
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Gerulaitis’s gallows humour deflects from the fact that his terrible records against Connors and Borg took a big toll on his confidence.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
The Athletic,
22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Something drastic has to be done with this pathetic group of men masquerading as basketball players.—
Ticked Off,
Orlando Sentinel,
24 Jan. 2025
-
On Vanderpump Rules, this man was smug, pathetic, punchable.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
14 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near wretched
Cite this Entry
“Wretched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wretched. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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