desdichado

wretch

noun adjective des-dee-CHAH-doh Rare

Also means

unfortunate person

Usage Note

Desdichado functions as both noun (el desdichado — 'the wretch') and adjective (una vida desdichada — 'a wretched life'). It is slightly more literary than desgraciado, which is its closer colloquial equivalent. The feminine form is desdichada. The prefix des- reverses dicha ('happiness, good fortune'), making the etymology transparent.

Examples

"Ese desdichado perdió todo en un día."

Natural Translation

That wretch lost everything in one day.

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