From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishwretchedwretch‧ed /ˈretʃɪd/ adjective1SAD/UNHAPPYSYMPATHIZEsomeone who is wretched is very unhappy or ill, and you feel sorry for themthe poor, wretched girl2if you feel wretched, you feel guilty and unhappy because of something bad that you have doneGuy felt wretched about it now.3[only before noun]ANNOY making you feel annoyed or angryWhere is that wretched boy?4literaryBAD extremely bad or unpleasantSYN miserableI was shocked to see their wretched living conditions. —wretchedly adverb —wretchedness noun [uncountable]Examples from the Corpuswretched• Billylay on the bed, wretched and close to tears.• Why couldn't she put the image of that wretched man out of her mind?• I don't want to have Nicky Scott Wilson fussing round me like a wretchednanny while you're away.• a lonely and wretched old man• It was a venue of pathos and prayers, a wretched place for passengersconcerned with their welfare.• wretchedpoverty• the wretched state of Americantelevision• They were no longer the oppressed, wretchedteenmenials who must take orders, toe the line.• The really wretched thing is, it can only get worse for me.• There was nothing to do but put the wretched thing on.• With a violent drunkard for a husband, he thought, that wretched woman must lead a life of terror.Originwretched(1100-1200)wretch