as in villain
a mean, evil, or unprincipled person
the clerk was an ungrateful wretch who stole money from his employer's cash register
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Recent Examples of wretch
The wretch in question has cut down one of the speaker’s spruce trees without his permission.
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Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2023
Had this poor wretch been well supplied with friends and money the result, as in numerous other instances, might have been different.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2023
Or would a wretch like me be saved by His amazing grace?
—Damon Young, Washington Post, 24 Oct. 2022
The song's lyrics also leave no topic off limits, touching on all that made the band wonder and wretch, with a tongue-in-cheek approach.
—Derek Scancarelli, EW.com, 12 May 2022
Washington Park neighborhood was torched by some ungrateful wretch just hours after a crowd of about 200 kids and adults lit the tree and enjoyed a night of caroling in the grassy median at Martin Luther King Drive and Garfield Boulevard.
—Rex Huppke, chicagotribune.com, 10 Dec. 2021
Ji Seong-ho is a street kid, a homeless kid, a wretch.
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 4 May 2020
While many superhero shows continue to traffic in one-dimensional super villains, the sophisticated dramas give us more ambiguous wretches.
—Matthew Gilbert, BostonGlobe.com, 6 July 2018
Smart security services may see, on smart video, that their populations get restive—but that doesn’t mean the wretches actually stop.
—Bruce Sterling, The Atlantic, 12 Feb. 2018
Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2023
Had this poor wretch been well supplied with friends and money the result, as in numerous other instances, might have been different.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2023
Or would a wretch like me be saved by His amazing grace?
—Damon Young, Washington Post, 24 Oct. 2022
The song's lyrics also leave no topic off limits, touching on all that made the band wonder and wretch, with a tongue-in-cheek approach.
—Derek Scancarelli, EW.com, 12 May 2022
Washington Park neighborhood was torched by some ungrateful wretch just hours after a crowd of about 200 kids and adults lit the tree and enjoyed a night of caroling in the grassy median at Martin Luther King Drive and Garfield Boulevard.
—Rex Huppke, chicagotribune.com, 10 Dec. 2021
Ji Seong-ho is a street kid, a homeless kid, a wretch.
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 4 May 2020
While many superhero shows continue to traffic in one-dimensional super villains, the sophisticated dramas give us more ambiguous wretches.
—Matthew Gilbert, BostonGlobe.com, 6 July 2018
Smart security services may see, on smart video, that their populations get restive—but that doesn’t mean the wretches actually stop.
—Bruce Sterling, The Atlantic, 12 Feb. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wretch
Noun
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Just weeks after closing out an incredibly dominant year in music, Rihanna was cast by some fans and members of the media as the villain and endlessly harassed by those who felt Brown did nothing wrong.Kyle Denis, Billboard, 19 Nov. 2024
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And thus is Cobra Kai Part 2’s biggest reveal with the return of a villain who has disdain for Kreese, LaRusso and Lawrence: the infamous Terry Silver (played by Thomas Griffith) and his ruthless Iron Dragons.Demetrius Patterson, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Nov. 2024
Noun
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The Penguin's Falcone is every bit the misogynistic brute, but his actions are relegated to the off-screen imagination by being implied, rather than shown.Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 24 Oct. 2024
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The part originally played by Timothy Olyphant has been taken over by Adam Driver—a specialist in magnetic brutes—whose recent movie roles have tended to be titular titans of industry and/or guys with accents.Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Frankly, this is a hard argument to dispute, but the guy is ultimately the movie’s monster, so his ideology has to be sufficiently challenged by the time the credits roll.Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2024
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Hung was also instrumental in creating the jiangshi genre of horror kung fu in the 1980s, inspired by his childhood love of ghosts and monsters.Gavin J Blair, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Often regarded by historians as a collection of savage tribes, the Scythians emerge as a pivotal force of the ancient world in this monumental history.The New Yorker, The New Yorker, 30 Jan. 2023
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Nearly 32 years ago, Rodney King’s savage beating by police in Los Angeles prompted heartfelt calls for change.Aaron Morrison, Claudia Lauer and Adrian Sainz, Anchorage Daily News, 29 Jan. 2023
Noun
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The current top predator in Tasmania, the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii), is already facing severe population declines due to disease.Scott Travers, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
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The devil facial tumor disease (DFTD) has been eating away at the population of Tasmanian devils and re-introducing the thylacine might not do the devil any favors.Scott Travers, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Its undeniably a humanitarian crisis and a very real security threat because of drug cartels, criminals and terrorists crossing the border.Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Orange County Register, 5 Nov. 2024
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The Jordanians will soar like eagles to hunt you down, one criminal after another.Ed Caesar, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Most in Becker's comment section agree—modern beauty standards are a beast, and social media is feeding it, but some voices are growing more powerful in their dissent.Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024
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Intending to shoot a documentary, Patrick heads into the belly of the beast.Declan Gallagher and Chris Bellamy, EW.com, 31 Oct. 2024
Noun
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You are being forced to surrender your country without a fight to the gang of traitors, thieves, and scoundrels who have seized power.Alexei Navalny, The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2024
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Still, our heroes are not traditional heroes but rather scoundrels and knaves and outcasts, all of whom have complex inner turmoil and compelling character arcs.Erik Kain, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Wretch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wretch. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
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