WRETCHEDLY Synonyms: 172 Similar and Opposite Words

wretchedly

adverb

Definition of wretchedly

as in poorly

in an unsatisfactory way the whole hockey team played wretchedly that night

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in bitterly

with feelings of bitterness or grief we're wretchedly disappointed in you for behaving so irresponsibly

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of wretchedly The Eastern Europeans—Yiddish Jews, Kimmel calls them—were poor, wretchedly so. — Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wretchedly

Adverb

As poorly as the Carolina Panthers’ offense looked during Wednesday’s joint practice with the Houston Texans, Bryce Young took some solace in the fact that the performance came in a practice setting.

— Joseph Person, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Sumrall’s team doesn’t have to be perfect, just can’t look undiscplined and poorly coached.

— Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of poorly

Adverb

District 4 The District 4 race between Sharry Kimmel, of Parkland, and Nicole Morst, of Coral Springs, has turned into one of the most bitterly contested, with both candidates questioning the honesty of their opponent.

— Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel, 14 Aug. 2026
Many clergy bitterly opposed the handover of the villages and criticized Pashinyan, who came to power in the South Caucasus nation amid a wave of hopeful, pro-democracy protests that swept Armenia in 2018.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of bitterly

Adverb

Curry is largely there for comic relief, swanning in with a bevy of beauties, challenging Bosley (Bill Murray) to a sumo match, and, sadly, getting murdered by the pool, thus depriving us of Curry’s magnetic presence for the rest of the film.

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 26 Aug. 2026
The suite is named The Endeavour, after the airplane of a former owner’s daughter, aviatrix Elsie Mackay, who attempted to become the first woman to cross the Atlantic a year after Charles Lindbergh and sadly disappeared somewhere along the way.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of sadly

Adverb

But the Vuelta a España’s hiring of a female influencer, whose social media content centers on flirting with male strangers, has backfired badly.

— Chris Marshall-Bell, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
The Iran-contra scandal in the mid-1980s badly tarnished Ronald Reagan’s foreign policy record.

— Nate Swanson, Foreign Affairs, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of badly

Adverb

History shows that trade imbalances of this scale almost always end painfully—and that the pain of the adjustment is not distributed evenly.

— MICHAEL PETTIS, Foreign Affairs, 28 Aug. 2026
No Me Arrepiento is more defined by a slow burn of emotions, beautifully and painfully put into words.

— Leila Cobo, Billboard, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of painfully

Browse Nearby Words

wretched

wretchedly

wretchedness

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“Wretchedly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wretchedly. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of wretchedly

adverb

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