wretch
Object of pity
A wretch is a miserable, unfortunate person—someone in a state of deep distress or degradation: The poor wretch had lost everything.
The word can express genuine pity or contemptuous dismissal.
It also describes someone contemptible or base: That wretch cheated his own mother.
In older religious contexts, sinners called themselves wretches to express spiritual unworthiness.
Wretchedly unhappy, dejected
- pitiableDeserving sympathetic sorrow
- unfortunateDeserving of pity
- patheticArousing scornful pity
- woefulExtremely sad or pitiful
forlorn · desolate · suffering · anguished · tormented · afflicted · downtrodden · hapless
Dishonest, unscrupulous person
- rogueDishonest or uncontrolled agent
- miscreantEvildoer or villain
- knaveDishonest, unprincipled person
- blackguardContemptible, dishonest person
rascal · cad · fiend · evildoer · malefactor · wrongdoer · criminal · sinner
Rejected, shunned person
- exileBanishment from homeland
- castawayShipwrecked and stranded person
- rejectDismiss as unsuitable
- outcastShunned, rejected person
untouchable · leper · persona non grata · abandoned · shunned · ostracized · banished · alienated
Deserving strong disrespect
- loathsomeArousing intense disgust
- despicableMorally worthless, beneath regard
- vileExtremely unpleasant or bad
- abhorrentCausing intense revulsion
detestable · reprehensible · odious · abominable · repugnant · scorned · reviled · hated
miserable
Wretchedly unhappy, dejected
- pitiableDeserving sympathetic sorrow
- unfortunateDeserving of pity
- patheticArousing scornful pity
woeful · forlorn · desolate · suffering · anguished · tormented · afflicted · downtrodden · hapless · luckless
scoundrel
Dishonest, unscrupulous person
blackguard · rascal · cad · fiend · evildoer · malefactor · wrongdoer · criminal · sinner · degenerate
pariah
Rejected, shunned person
outcast · untouchable · leper · persona non grata · abandoned · shunned · ostracized · banished · alienated · disowned
contemptible
Deserving strong disrespect
- loathsomeArousing intense disgust
- despicableMorally worthless, beneath regard
- vileExtremely unpleasant or bad
abhorrent · detestable · reprehensible · odious · abominable · repugnant · scorned · reviled · hated · disgraceful
- old insultsknave, varlet, scoundrel, rogue, blackguard
- Shakespearean insultsknave, varlet, villain, rogue, scoundrel
- unfortunatesvictims, unfortunate, poor soul, lost soul, victim
- deceiversliar, liars, deceiver, fraud, fake
- disgustdisgust, disgusting, disgusted, revulsion, repulsion
- troublemakerstroublemaker, rascals, delinquents, imps, brats
wretchdignitary
Person of high rank
luminary · noble · pillar of society · nobleman · noblewoman