wretch
/retʃ/ (bre, ipa) · [rˈɛtʃ] /retʃ/ (ame, ipa) · [rˈɛtʃ] /ˈrech How to pronounce wretch (audio)/ (ame, mw)
wretch — noun
- wretchsingular
- wretchesplural
1. A person who is in a state of great unhappiness, misfortune, or physical sufferi
A person who is in a state of great unhappiness, misfortune, or physical suffering, making other people feel sympathy or pity towards them.
Owen found the poor wretch shivering under a torn blanket near the train station.
collocation: 'poor wretch' — an adjective of pity before the noun
The shivering wretch at the hospital door had not eaten a proper meal in three days.
Bilal gave his warm coat to the wretch who sat crying on the wet ground.
What kind of city leaves a helpless wretch with nowhere to sleep on freezing winter nights?
The wretch showed Nila his red swollen hands from scrubbing floors in cold water all day.
- miserable person
more neutral and descriptive; less emotional than wretch
- sufferer
focuses on the experience of pain or hardship rather than the pity it evokes
- soul
poetic or affectionate tone, as in 'poor soul'; slightly old-fashioned
用法筆記
Commonly paired with the adjective 'poor' (a poor wretch) to intensify sympathy. This sense is more typical of literature, news reporting, and formal writing than everyday conversation.
2. A person who behaves in a cruel, dishonest, or shameless way, causing others to
A person who behaves in a cruel, dishonest, or shameless way, causing others to feel anger, dislike, or contempt.
Sayaka called the man a heartless wretch for stealing money from the church donation box.
collocation: 'heartless wretch' — adjective of cruelty before the noun
The wretch who abandoned his elderly mother was despised by the entire village.
Christopher discovered that the wretch had been cheating elderly customers out of their savings for years.
That ungrateful wretch took Heloísa's life savings and never even said thank you.
The neighbours dragged the wretch to the police station after they caught him stealing garden tools.
- hero
a person admired for courage and good qualities
用法筆記
Can express genuine anger and contempt, but is also used in a half-joking way for minor annoyances (You ungrateful wretch!). When paired with 'poor' (poor wretch), the meaning shifts to sense 1 (pity), not this sense.