The word wretched is often used in a general sense, to refer to something that is very, very bad. In this sense, feeling wretched merely means feeling especially awful. There’s a more specific meaning of the word, though, that describes a particular sort of negative experience.
In this aspect, to feel wretched is to feel like a wretch. A wretch is a despised person who has been cast out of society, physically or symbolically. To feel wretched, therefore, is to have the emotion of someone who is suffering through the experience of exile. It is to feel alone, without the familiar support of home, family and friends.
A wretched emotion is similar to feeling abandoned, with a subtle difference. An abandoned person feels as if they have been left behind, separated by people who have moved on to something new. A wretched person, on the other hand, feels as if they have been forced to move on from the place that had been their home, and from the people who remain there.
