different between wretched vs pitiful
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
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- wretchedness meaning
- what wretched means in spanish
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- what's wretched in french
pitiful
English
Alternative forms
- pitifull (archaic)
Etymology
From Middle English pityful, piteful, piteeful, equivalent to pity +? -ful.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /?p?t.?.fl?/
Adjective
pitiful (comparative pitifuller, superlative pitifullest)
- (now rare) Feeling pity; merciful.
- 1851, Herman Melville, Moby-Dick:
- Straightway, he now goes on to make a full confession; whereupon the mariners became more and more appalled, but still are pitiful.
- 1851, Herman Melville, Moby-Dick:
- So appalling or sad that one feels or should feel sorry for it; eliciting pity.
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:lamentable
- Of an amount or number: very small.
Related terms
- pitiable
- pity
Translations
Adverb
pitiful (comparative more pitiful, superlative most pitiful)
- (colloquial, dialect) In a pitiful manner; pitifully; piteously; pathetically.
Translations
pitiful From the web:
- what pitiful means
- pitiful meaning
- what pitiful meaning in arabic
- what pitiful means in spanish
- what pitiful means in farsi
- what pitiful sight
- pitiful what does it means
- pitiful what you are
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