wretchedness

From Middle English wrecchednesse; equivalent to wretched +‎ -ness.

• IPA^(key): /ˈɹɛt͡ʃɪdnəs/

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• Hyphenation: wretch‧ed‧ness

wretchedness (usually uncountable, plural wretchednesses)

1. An unhappy state of mental or physical suffering.

   Synonym: misery

   • 1811, Jane Austen, chapter 3, in Sense and Sensibility:

     She saw only that he was quiet and unobtrusive, and she liked him for it. He did not disturb the wretchedness of her mind by ill-timed conversation.

2. A state of prolonged misfortune, privation, or anguish.