wretch

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.

• IPA^(key): /ɹɛt͡ʃ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛtʃ
• Homophone: retch

wretch (plural wretches)

1. An unhappy, unfortunate, or miserable person.
   • 1742, Henry Fielding, chapter 12, in Joseph Andrews‎, archived from the original on 5 April 2012:

     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, archived from the original on 3 March 2011:

     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.

   • 1936, Robert Frost, “The Vindictives”, in A Further Range:

     And his subjects wrung all they could wring / Out of temple and palace and store. / But when there seemed no more to bring, / His captors convicted the king / Of once having started a war, / And strangled the wretch with a string.

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

     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, archived from the original on 15 April 2012:

     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!

   • 1885–1888, Richard F[rancis] Burton, transl. and editor, “Night 532”, in Supplemental Nights to the Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night , Shammar edition, volume (please specify the volume), : Burton Club , →OCLC:

     […] 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; […]

   • 1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:

     How I cursed my selfishness and the folly that had kept me lingering by Ayesha's side while my dear boy lay dying! Alas and alas! how easily the best of us are lighted down to evil by the gleam of a woman's eyes! What a wicked wretch was I!

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

• wretched

wretch

1. Misspelling of retch.

• “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.