Wretch Meaning
/ɹɛt͡ʃ/Definition, CEFR level C2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounAn unhappy, unfortunate, or miserable person.
nounAn unpleasant, annoying, worthless, or despicable person.
Sentence Examples
What now, you wretch? You thinking of protecting her?
One should never deride the wretch, for who can be sure of always being happy?
CEFR Practice Quiz
The poor ____ begged for money on every cold street corner.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The poor ____ wandered through the streets of the city, hoping to find some food and several a place today.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English wrecche, from Old English wreċċa (“exile, outcast”), from Proto-Germanic *wrakjô (“exile, fugitive, warrior”), from Proto-Indo-European *wreg- (“to track, follow”). Doublet of garçon.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The poor wretch, who lay motionless a long time, just began to recover his senses as a stage-coach came by."
— 1742, Henry Fielding, chapter 12, in Joseph Andrews, archived from the original on 05 Apr 2012:
"The four unhappy wretches labouring under sentence of banishment were freed from their fetters, to rejoin their former society; and three days given as holidays to every convict in the colony."
— 1789, Watkin Tench, chapter 14, in The Expedition to Botany Bay, archived from the original on 03 Mar 2011:
"And his subjects wrung all they could wring / Out of temple and palace and store. / But when there seemed no more to bring, / His captors convicted the king / Of once having started a war, / And strangled the wretch with a string."
— 1936, Robert Frost, “The Vindictives”, in A Further Range:
"Swear to me but, thou bold wretch! said she, swear to me, that Pamela Andrews is really and truly thy lawful wife, without sham, without deceit, without double-meaning; and I know what I have to say!"
— 1740, Samuel Richardson, chapter 71, in Pamela:
"I asked that selfish wretch, Winterblossom, to walk down with me to view her distress, and the heartless beast told me he was afraid of infection!"
— 1823, Walter Scott, chapter 32, in Saint Ronan's Well, archived from the original on 15 Apr 2012:
Explore More C2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The poor ____ begged for money on every cold street corner.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The poor ____ wandered through the streets of the city, hoping to find some food and several a place today.