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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Wretch \Wretch\, noun [OE. wrecche, AS. wrecca, wr[ae]cca, an exile, a wretch, fr. wrecan to drive out, punish; properly, an exile, one driven out, akin to AS. wr[ae]c an exile, OS. wrekkio a stranger, OHG. reccheo an exile. See {Wreak}, v. t.]
1. A miserable person; one profoundly unhappy. ''The wretch that lies in woe.'' --Shak.
Hovered thy spirit o'er thy sorrowing son, Wretch even then, life's journey just begun? --Cowper.
2. One sunk in vice or degradation; a base, despicable person; a vile knave; as, a profligate wretch.
Note: Wretch is sometimes used by way of slight or ironical pity or contempt, and sometimes to express tenderness; as we say, poor thing. ''Poor wretch was never frighted so.'' --Drayton.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
wretch
noun
1: performs some wicked deed
2: someone you feel sorry for [syn: {poor devil}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
63 Moby Thesaurus words for "wretch": Bowery bum, beachcomber, beggar, beggarly fellow, blackguard, blighter, budmash, bum, bummer, caitiff, cur, derelict, devil, dog, drifter, drunkard, good-for-naught, good-for-nothing, hobo, human wreck, knave, lowlife, martyr, mauvais sujet, mean wretch, mucker, no-good, object of compassion, pauvre diable, pilgarlic, poor creature, poor devil, prey, rapscallion, rascal, rogue, rotter, sad case, sad sack, scalawag, scoundrel, scum, skid-row bum, skunk, snake, stiff, stinkard, stinker, sufferer, sundowner, swagman, toad, tramp, truant, vag, vagabond, vagrant, vaurien, victim, villain, wastrel, worm, worthless fellow
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