Wretch

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Wretch \Wretch\, n. [OE. wrecche, AS. wrecca, wr[ae]cca, an
     exile, a wretch, fr. wrecan to drive out, punish; properly,
     an exile, one driven out, akin to AS. wr[ae]c an exile, OS.
     wrekkio a stranger, OHG. reccheo an exile. See {Wreak}, v.
     t.]
     [1913 Webster]


     1. A miserable person; one profoundly unhappy. "The wretch
        that lies in woe." --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Hovered thy spirit o'er thy sorrowing son,
              Wretch even then, life's journey just begun?
                                                    --Cowper.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. One sunk in vice or degradation; a base, despicable
        person; a vile knave; as, a profligate wretch.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Note: Wretch is sometimes used by way of slight or ironical
           pity or contempt, and sometimes to express tenderness;
           as we say, poor thing. "Poor wretch was never frighted
           so." --Drayton.
           [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  wretch
       n 1: performs some wicked deed
       2: someone you feel sorry for [syn: {poor devil}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  63 Moby Thesaurus words for "wretch":
     Bowery bum, beachcomber, beggar, beggarly fellow, blackguard,
     blighter, budmash, bum, bummer, caitiff, cur, derelict, devil, dog,
     drifter, drunkard, good-for-naught, good-for-nothing, hobo,
     human wreck, knave, lowlife, martyr, mauvais sujet, mean wretch,
     mucker, no-good, object of compassion, pauvre diable, pilgarlic,
     poor creature, poor devil, prey, rapscallion, rascal, rogue,
     rotter, sad case, sad sack, scalawag, scoundrel, scum,
     skid-row bum, skunk, snake, stiff, stinkard, stinker, sufferer,
     sundowner, swagman, toad, tramp, truant, vag, vagabond, vagrant,
     vaurien, victim, villain, wastrel, worm, worthless fellow