wretch

noun

ˈrech How to pronounce wretch (audio)
Definition of wretchnext
as in villain
a mean, evil, or unprincipled person the clerk was an ungrateful wretch who stole money from his employer's cash register

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of wretch The first time, Julian’s children (James Corden, Jessica Gunning) seemed like miserable, greedy wretches. — Brent Lang, Variety, 11 Apr. 2026 The elegant sets and lavish costume designs are stunning, as is Jacob Elordi's multi-faceted performance as the intelligent wretch stitched together from corpses. — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 27 Dec. 2025 Her expressions, her movements, her delivery — all of it makes Carol more complex than just a miserable wretch. — Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 3 Dec. 2025 Only Martin — cast as a Dickensian wretch by Bonitzer’s legion of myopic elites, but always quietly acting against type — reserves the right to determine his own worth. — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 29 Oct. 2025 As Blake transforms into a swollen, oozing wretch who gnaws frantically on his own wounds, his family appears as glowing-eyed aliens, their words a jumble of indecipherable sounds. — Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wretch
  1. villain
  2. brute
  3. monster
  4. savage
  5. devil
  6. criminal
  7. offender
  8. beast
Noun
  • Tell me more about William, the actual villain, and what his character represents.
    — Selome Hailu, Variety, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Despite Nas emerging as one of the season’s primary antagonists, Kelly doesn’t necessarily view him as a straightforward villain.
    — Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of villain
Noun
  • Most sportsmen wonder how any whitetail bucks, let alone a brute such as Kontras’, could have been so easily patterned.
    — Jeff Murray, Outdoor Life, 20 Aug. 2026
  • The show’s depiction of Hugh as a family man has been much more sympathetic than the book’s description of him as a power-hungry brute.
    — James Grebey, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of brute
Noun
  • The main three projects — The Mummy, The Loudest Voice and Unabomber — each involve monsters in various forms.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The world has seen many hurricanes rapidly intensify in recent years, strengthening from relatively weak storms into destructive monsters in a matter of hours.
    — Chanh Kieu, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of monster
Noun
  • The Danish director’s Pusher trilogy (which was restored and rereleased last year) had been handheld, hyperrealistic, and savage; Drive, on the other hand, was ethereal and moody, its characters submerged, their delivery precise.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
  • One of the best Saturday morning traditions during college football season is not only watching ESPN's best program on the network, College Gameday, but seeing the hilarious, savage, and unique signs fans put together each week.
    — Jon Root OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of savage
Noun
  • Behave yourself, buddy, or the little red devil will take you away!
    — Sanat Pai Raikar, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Dostoyevsky’s sniveling devil comes closest to portraying the man chiefly responsible for organizing the Final Solution.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of devil
Noun
  • The Financial Action Task Force, the global money-laundering watchdog, has warned that criminals exploit citizenship and residency programs to conceal their identities, launder illicit wealth and evade justice.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The real risk is that a criminal could forge your signature on a deed or trick you into signing paperwork that transfers ownership, then file that document with the local office that maintains property records.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of criminal
Noun
  • Those illicit techniques include attaching a GPS tracker to a car or using cell-tower data to track a potential offender.
    — Rafael A. Mangual, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The repeat violent offender that attacked multiple women in Dilworth should have never been on the streets.
    — Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of offender
Noun
  • This week, Netflix features the latest installment in a legendary anime series, a Spanish-language thriller stuffed with social commentary, and a Canadian horror about a mysterious beast stalking an isolated fishing village.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Specifically, the one from that parable where six blind men describe a beast based on just one of its characteristics.
    — Shane O’Neill, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of beast

Browse Nearby Words

wrests
wretch
wretched
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Wretch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wretch. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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