wretchedness

English

Etymology

From Middle English wrecchednesse; equivalent to wretched +‎ -ness.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɹɛt͡ʃɪdnəs/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: wretch‧ed‧ness

Noun

wretchedness (usually uncountable, plural wretchednesses)

1. An unhappy state of mental or physical suffering.

   Synonyms: misery, unhappiness; see also Thesaurus:sadness

   • 1811, Jane Austen, chapter 3, in Sense and Sensibility:

     She saw only that he was quiet and unobtrusive, and she liked him for it. He did not disturb the wretchedness of her mind by ill-timed conversation.

2. A state of prolonged misfortune, privation, or anguish.

Translations

an unhappy state of mental or physical suffering

• Azerbaijani: miskinlik
• German: Erbarmungswürdigkeit f, Armseligkeit (de) f, Erbärmlichkeit (de) f
• Indonesian: kenistaan (id)
• Ottoman Turkish: شقا (şaka)
• Plautdietsch: Älent n