2 uses
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Definition
very bad
in various senses, including:
- unfortunate or miserable — as in "wretched prisoners sleeping on the cold floor"
- of poor quality — as in "wretched roads"
- morally bad — as in "The wretched woman stole his wallet."
- She's 'poor Ellen' certainly, because she had the bad luck to make a wretched marriage; but I don't see that that's a reason for hiding her head as if she were the culprit."Chapter 5 (81% in)
- "The doctors want my husband to feel that he is in his own home; otherwise he would be so wretched that the climate would not do him any good," she explained, winter after winter, to the sympathising Philadelphians and Baltimoreans; and Mr. Welland, beaming across a breakfast table miraculously supplied with the most varied delicacies, was presently saying to Archer: "You see, my dear fellow, we camp—we literally camp.Chapter 16 (25% in)
There are no more uses of "wretched" in The Age of Innocence.
Typical Usage
(best examples)