wretch
/retʃ/ (bre, ipa) · [rˈɛtʃ] /retʃ/ (ame, ipa) · [rˈɛtʃ] /ˈrech How to pronounce wretch (audio)/ (ame, mw)
wretch — 名詞
- wretchsingular
- wretchesplural
1. A person who is in a state of great unhappiness, misfortune, or physical sufferi
可憐的人
處境悲慘、值得同情的人
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.
Owen 在火車站附近發現那可憐的人在破毯子下發抖。
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.
醫院門口那瑟瑟發抖的可憐人已經三天沒好好吃一頓飯了。
Bilal gave his warm coat to the wretch who sat crying on the wet ground.
Bilal 把自己溫暖的外套給了那個坐在濕地上哭泣的可憐人。
What kind of city leaves a helpless wretch with nowhere to sleep on freezing winter nights?
什麼樣的城市會在寒冷的冬夜裡讓一個無助的可憐人無處棲身？
The wretch showed Nila his red swollen hands from scrubbing floors in cold water all day.
那可憐人給 Nila 看他那雙因整天在冷水裡擦地板而紅腫的手。
- 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
惡棍；無賴
邪惡卑鄙、令人厭惡的人
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.
Sayaka 罵那個男人是個沒良心的惡棍，因為他偷了教堂奉獻箱裡的錢。
collocation: 'heartless wretch' — adjective of cruelty before the noun
The wretch who abandoned his elderly mother was despised by the entire village.
那個拋棄年邁母親的惡棍被全村的人唾棄。
Christopher discovered that the wretch had been cheating elderly customers out of their savings for years.
Christopher 發現那個惡棍多年來一直在騙取老客戶的積蓄。
That ungrateful wretch took Heloísa's life savings and never even said thank you.
那個忘恩負義的無賴拿走了 Heloísa 畢生積蓄，連聲謝謝都沒說。
The neighbours dragged the wretch to the police station after they caught him stealing garden tools.
鄰居們把那個惡棍拖到警察局，因為他們抓到他在偷園藝工具。
- 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.