wretch

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English wrecche, from Old English wreċċa (“exile, outcast”), from Proto-Germanic *wrakjô (“exile, fugitive, warrior”), from Proto-Indo-European *wreg- (“to track, follow”). Doublet of garçon.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɹɛtʃ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛtʃ
• Homophone: retch

Noun

wretch (plural wretches)

1. An unhappy, unfortunate, or miserable person.
   • 1742, Henry Fielding, chapter 12, in Joseph Andrews‎^[1]:

     The poor wretch, who lay motionless a long time, just began to recover his senses as a stage-coach came by.

   • 1789, Watkin Tench, chapter 14, in The Expedition to Botany Bay‎^[2]:

     The four unhappy wretches labouring under sentence of banishment were freed from their fetters, to rejoin their former society; and three days given as holidays to every convict in the colony.

2. An unpleasant, annoying, worthless, or despicable person.
   • 1740, Samuel Richardson, chapter 71, in Pamela‎^[3]:

     Swear to me but, thou bold wretch! said she, swear to me, that Pamela Andrews is really and truly thy lawful wife, without sham, without deceit, without double-meaning; and I know what I have to say!

   • 1823, Walter Scott, chapter 32, in Saint Ronan's Well‎^[4]:

     I asked that selfish wretch, Winterblossom, to walk down with me to view her distress, and the heartless beast told me he was afraid of infection!

   • 1885, Richard F. Burton, The Supplemental Nights to the Thousand Nights and a Night, Night 532:

     […] Alaeddin ate and drank and was cheered and after he had rested and had recovered spirits he cried, "Ah, O my mother, I have a sore grievance against thee for leaving me to that accursed wight who strave to compass my destruction and designed to take my life. Know that I beheld Death with mine own eyes at the hand of this damned wretch, whom thou didst certify to be my uncle; […]

3. (archaic) An exile. (Can we add an example for this sense?)

Derived terms

• wretched

Translations

unhappy, unfortunate, or miserable person

• Czech: ubožák (cs) m, ničema (cs) m
• Dutch: wrak (nl) n, ellendeling (nl) m or f
• Esperanto: bedaŭrindulo
• Finnish: ressukka (fi), raasu (fi), poloinen
• French: malheureux (fr) m, malheureux (fr) m pl, malheureuse (fr) f, malheureuses (fr) f pl
• German: Loser (de) m, Tropf (de) m, armer Schlucker m, armer Teufel m, armes Schwein n, armseliger Wicht m
• Greek:

  Ancient Greek: τάλας m (tálas), τάλαινα f (tálaina)

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Indonesian: orang malang, orang celaka, bedebah (id)
• Irish: aimléis f, aimleoir m, anacróir m, cnápach m, cráiteachán m, donán m, donóg f, eiseamláir f, fuad m, fuaice m, fualán m, raispín m, rama m, sianaí m, tráill f, troch m, trua f, truaill f, truailleachán m, truán m, truanairt f
• Italian: miserabile (it), iellato m, omuncolo (it) m, straccio (it) m
• Portuguese: miserável (pt) m, desgraçado (pt) m, coitado (pt) m
• Romanian: nenorocit (ro), nefericit (ro)
• Russian: бедня́га (ru) m or f (bednjága), бедня́жка (ru) m or f (bednjážka)
• Spanish: desgraciado (es) m, desventurado (es) m, desgraciada (es) f, desventurada (es) f
• Swedish: stackare (sv) n

unpleasant, annoying person

• German: elender Wicht m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Swedish: usling (sv) c

exile — see exile

Etymology 2

Verb

wretch (third-person singular simple present wretches, present participle wretching, simple past and past participle wretched)

1. Misspelling of retch.

Further reading

• “wretch”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “wretch”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “wretch”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “wretch”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.