different between frightful vs wretched
frightful
English
Alternative forms
- frightfull (archaic)
Etymology
From Middle English frightful (“afraid”), from Old English forhtful (“fainthearted, timorous”). Equivalent to fright +? -ful.
Pronunciation
- enPR: fr?t?f?l, IPA(key): /?f?a?tf?l/
- Hyphenation: fright?ful
Adjective
frightful (comparative more frightful, superlative most frightful)
- (obsolete) Full of fright, whether
- Afraid, frightened.
- c. 1250, Genesis and Exodus, line 3459:
- Ðis frigtful ðus a-biden,
Quiles ðis dai?es for ben gliden.
- Ðis frigtful ðus a-biden,
- c. 1250, Genesis and Exodus, line 3459:
- Timid, fearful, easily frightened.
- Afraid, frightened.
- Full of something causing fright, whether
- Genuinely horrific, awful, or alarming.
- (hyperbolic) Unpleasant, dreadful, awful (also used as an intensifier).
- 1990, House of Cards, Season 1, Episode 1:
- Francis Urquhart: What a frightful little man. Where do they find them these days?
Tim Stamper: God knows. If I had a dog like that, I'd shoot it.
Francis Urquhart: Well, yes. Quite.
- Francis Urquhart: What a frightful little man. Where do they find them these days?
- 1990, House of Cards, Season 1, Episode 1:
Synonyms
- See Thesaurus:frightening
- See Thesaurus:bad
Derived terms
- frightfully
Translations
Adverb
frightful (comparative more frightful, superlative most frightful)
- (dialect) Frightfully; very.
References
- Webster's, "frightful", 1913.
- Oxford English Dictionary, "frightful, adj.", 1898.
Middle English
Alternative forms
- frigtful
Etymology
From Old English forhtful; equivalent to fright +? -ful.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /?frixt?ful/
Adjective
frightful
- (rare) afraid, frightened
Descendants
- English: frightful
References
- “frightful, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-05.
frightful From the web:
- what frightful mean
- frightful what does it mean
- what does frightfully sorry mean
- what does frightful learn from chup
- what is frightful's mountain about
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wretched
English
Etymology 1
From Middle English wrecched, equivalent to wretch +? -ed.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /???t??d/
Adjective
wretched (comparative wretcheder or more wretched, superlative wretchedest or most wretched)
- Very miserable; feeling deep affliction or distress.
- I felt wretched after my wife died.
- Worthless; paltry; very poor or mean; miserable.
- The street was full of wretched beggars dressed in rags.
- (obsolete) Hatefully contemptible; despicable; wicked.
- (informal) Used to express dislike of or annoyance towards the mentioned thing.
- Will you please stop playing that wretched trombone!
Usage notes
- Nouns to which "wretched" is often applied: woman, state, life, condition, creature, man, excess, person, place, world, being, situation, weather, slave, animal, city, village, health, house, town.
Synonyms
- (very miserable): See Thesaurus:sad or Thesaurus:lamentable
- (worthless): See Thesaurus:insignificant
- (hatefully contemptible): See Thesaurus:despicable
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
Further reading
- wretched in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- wretched in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
- Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “wretched”, in Online Etymology Dictionary
Etymology 2
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /??t?t/
- Rhymes: -?t?t
Verb
wretched
- Misspelling of retched.
wretched From the web:
- what wretched means
- what wretched man i am
- what's wretched
- what wretched weather
- wretchedness meaning
- what wretched means in spanish
- what wretched sentence
- what's wretched in french
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