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Fine Dictionary

wretched

ˈrɛʧɪd
WordNet
  1. (adj) wretched
    characterized by physical misery "a wet miserable weekend","spent a wretched night on the floor"
  2. (adj) wretched
    deserving or inciting pity "a hapless victim","miserable victims of war","the shabby room struck her as extraordinarily pathetic"- Galsworthy","piteous appeals for help","pitiable homeless children","a pitiful fate","Oh, you poor thing","his poor distorted limbs","a wretched life"
  3. (adj) wretched
    morally reprehensible "would do something as despicable as murder","ugly crimes","the vile development of slavery appalled them","a slimy little liar"
  4. (adj) wretched
    very unhappy; full of misery "he felt depressed and miserable","a message of hope for suffering humanity","wretched prisoners huddled in stinking cages"
  5. (adj) wretched
    of very poor quality or condition "deplorable housing conditions in the inner city","woeful treatment of the accused","woeful errors of judgment"
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
  1. Wretched
    Hatefully contemptible; despicable; wicked. "Wretched ungratefulness.", "Nero reigned after this Claudius, of all men wretchedest , ready to all manner [of] vices."
  2. Wretched
    Worthless; paltry; very poor or mean; miserable; as, a wretched poem; a wretched cabin.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
  1. wretched
    Suffering from or affected by extreme misery or distress; deeply afflicted; miserable; unhappy.
  2. wretched
    Characterized by or causing misery or unhappiness; very afflicting, annoying, or uncomfortable; distressingly bad in condition or relation: as, the wretched condition of a prison; wretched weather; a wretched prospect.
  3. wretched
    Of miserable character or quality; despicable; contemptible; reprehensible; strongly objectionable: used of persons or things: as, a wretched blunderer or quibbler; a wretched quibble; wretched stuff.
  4. wretched
    Worthless; paltry; very poor, mean, inefficient, unsatisfactory, unskilful, or the like: as, a wretched poem; a wretched cabin; a wretched defense or piece of work.
  5. wretched
    =Syn.1. Forlorn, woebegone.
  6. wretched
    Vile, sorry, shabby, pitiful.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary
  1. (adj) Wretched
    very miserable: distressingly bad: despicable: worthless
Quotations
Publius Cornelius Tacitus
We see many who are struggling against adversity who are happy, and more although abounding in wealth, who are wretched.
Publius Cornelius Tacitus
There are no greater wretches in the world than many of those whom people in general take to be happy.
Seneca
Samuel Johnson
The wretched have no compassion, they can do good only from strong principles of duty.
Samuel Johnson
He who commits injustice is ever made more wretched than he who suffers it.
Plato
(Decimus Junius Juvenalis) Juvenal
It is a wretched thing to live on the fame of others.
(Decimus Junius Juvenalis) Juvenal
Robert Burns
How wretched is the person who hangs on by the favors of the powerful.
Robert Burns
Etymology

Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary A.S. wrecca, an outcast—wræc, pa.t. of wrecan, to drive.

Usage in the news

The opening sentence, in a word, was wretched. blog.oregonlive.com

In This Wretched Economy, Magazine Conferences Are Like Group Therapy . foliomag.com

72 Hours of Wretched Excess. eek.com

You will never find a more wretched hive of fun and nerdery. blog.seattlepi.com

H-E-B expanding downtown, Fear of Southtown loafing (times infinity), ICMA nods at SA, Casa Maldonado not so wretched . sacurrent.com

Hot, nasty, wretched weather this week in D.C. From the ABC 7 Weather team. jla.com

Rech was pretty wretched . bez.org

The Wretched of the Earth. time.com

The Summer Of Wretched Excess. businessweek.com

The Sixers were a wretched 9-73 in 1973, which earned them the very first pick in the NBA draft. philly.com

Stalinism was one of history's most wretched political and economic systems, a nightmarish machine that murdered millions (if not tens of millions) of innocents in cold blood. forbes.com

TRENTON — The president of the state Board of Public Utilities today gave New Jersey power companies an 'F' for a wretched job in communicating with the public during and after Hurricane Sandy. nj.com

That saved a wretch like me. richmondregister.com

Black Veil Brides' upcoming album, 'Wretched and Divine : The Story of the Wild Ones,' looks like it's going to be an epic release. banana1015.com

UConn and South Florida are determined to not let a wretched October get the best of them. shorepublishing.com

Usage in scientific papers

Intel’s Paragon OS is well known for its tendency to lock up the entire machine because of minor problems on one node, as well as its wretched performance on large systems.
Cluster Computing White Paper

Usage in literature

The wretch uppermost is the coachman. "In Clive's Command" by Herbert Strang

You seem determined to make me wretched to-night. "Mark Hurdlestone" by Susanna Moodie

It is lamentable to see so fine a country in so wretched a state. "A Journey through the Kingdom of Oude, Volumes I & II" by William Sleeman

Then a man got up to tackle me, not a native, but some wretched London agitator. "The Half-Hearted" by John Buchan

It was barely dawn, and a wretched little orchestra was grouped at the edge of the tiny station. "The Luck of Thirteen" by Jan Gordon

Go, you horrid wretch!... "The Works of Guy de Maupassant, Volume II (of 8)" by Guy de Maupassant

These wretches rushed into the streets with a ferocious joy. "History of the Expedition to Russia" by Count Philip de Segur

Wretched as we are, powerless as we are, they will not aid us; we shall die alone. "Pascal's Pensées" by Blaise Pascal

An ineffable misery fell upon me and upon my wretched husband. "Phineas Redux" by Anthony Trollope

Thou dog, thou wretched rascal! "The Poor Plutocrats" by Maurus Jókai

Usage in poetry
"In vain thy wretched child is come,
She comes too late to save!
And only now can share thy doom,
And share thy peaceful grave!"
The wretched Parents all that night
Went shouting far and wide;
But there was neither sound nor sight
To serve them for a guide.
And as Caleb heard the story
All his heart within him burned,
And his soul with deep compassion
For that wretched people yearned.
Blest he that comes to wretched men
With peaceful news from heav'n!
Hosannah's of the highest strain
To Christ the Lord be giv'n!
The lofty dwellings of the great
Full many a wretch contain,
Who feels the cares of pomp and state,
But seeks their joys in vain:
With horror dumb, tho' guiltless, stood
Beside his dying friend,
The hapless wretch who made the blood
Sad from his side descend!