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
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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
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
Noun
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Together, the band brings to life a mythic world of ancient heroes and villains, attracting an excited audience of headbangers and fantasy fanatics, many of whom show up in costume.
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The performance earned her the award for best villain at the 2003 MTV Movie Awards.
Noun
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Shinnecock was still a brute of a test, but the red numbers on the white scoreboard were an unfamiliar site for this course.
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These brutes commonly exceed 50 pounds.
Noun
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Or will the monsters get in their way?
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Making matters worse, Christophe has a spinal condition that requires him to wear a massive metal back brace 24/7, turning him into a pre-teen metal monster.
Noun
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Ditto Hugh Jackman’s unerring performance — perhaps his finest dramatic work yet — as a savage, unfeeling thug and unrepentant murderer and thief.
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This savage, amoral and unfeeling Robin Hood has been written to invert everything modern fans like about him.
Noun
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Also called devil's snare, the plant's seeds, roots, stems, and leaves are all dangerous if ingested.
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Beloved baby brother, American [WWII bronze star veteran], husband, father of 4 strong women, [grandpa], adorable scamp, handsome devil, and trickster to the end.
Noun
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What begins as a chance to escape the routine of his everyday life quickly spirals into a dangerous gathering of powerful criminals, old enemies, and unresolved loyalties.
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That creates the perfect opening for criminals.
Noun
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Deputies responded to the area and identified an undisclosed number of juveniles as the offenders, officials said.
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Washington faces decisions about whether to sanction firms that engage in distillation, restrict the chips and cloud infrastructure that support it, and create legal safe harbors for American AI labs to share threat intelligence about offenders.
Noun
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Each song is about a different mythical beast, with a moral within each story.
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Perhaps another beast could be used for making hamburgers instead.
Cite this Entry
“Wretch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wretch. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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