A.suffering hardship, in sore distress, wretched, of persons, A.Th.257; “ὦ πόλλ᾽ ἐγὼ μ.” S.Ph.254; ὦ μόχθηρε σύ poor wretch! Ar. Ach.165, Ra.1175; “ὦ μόχθηρε” Pl.Phdr.268e; of conditions, “μοχθηρῆς ἐούσης τῆς ζόης” Hdt.7.46; μοχθηρὰ τλῆναι suffer hardships, A.Ch.752. Adv., σῶμα μοχθηρῶς διακείμενον in a bad way, Pl.Grg. 504e; ζῆν μ. ib.505a; “μ. ἔχειν” Arist.Pol.1254b1: Comp., “μοχθηροτέρως ἔχειν” Pl.R.343e: Sup. -ότατα“, διακείμενοι” Id.Erx.406.
2. in bad condition, “βοῦς” Ar.Eq.316; “ἱμάτιον” Cratin.207; “μοχθηρότερα ἀποδιδόντες ἢ παρέλαβον τὰ ἱμάτια” Pl.Men.91e; καταλαβὼν μοχθηρὰ τὰ πράγματα finding trade in a bad state, D.34.8; “μ. ἐλπίδας ἔχειν” Din. 1.107; “μ. τραγῳδία” Arist.Metaph.1090b20; “ὕδατα” Id.Pr.872a10; “χρόα” Id.HA616b12; “ἀγωγή” PTeb.24.57 (ii B. C.); of persons, inferior, μ. (v.l. πονηρ-)“ ἰατρός” Antipho 4.2.4; also, of appearance, μοχθηρὸς τὴν ἰδέαν ugly, And.1.100; of arguments, unsound, fallacious, S.E.P.2.111; of persons, mistaken, Anon.Lond.27.24: so in Adv. -“ρῶς, κρίνομεν” S.E.M.7.210.
II. most freq. of persons, in moral sense, knavish, rascally, Th.8.73, etc.; “ἐκ χρηστῶν καὶ γενναίων μοχθηροτάτους ἀπέδειξας” Ar.Ra.1011, cf. Pl.Men.91e; “τοὺς τρόπους μ.” Ar.Pl.1003; of acts, etc., “μ. τι πράσσειν” Trag.Adesp.510; “ὑφοψία μ.” OGI315.58 (Pessinus, ii B. C.); “ῥῆμα μ.” SIG1175.5 (Piraeus, iv/iii B. C.); “μοχθηρότερα λεγόντων” X.HG1.4.13 (v.l. -ότερον Adv. Comp.).—Some Gramm. write μόχθηρος, πόνηρος in signf. 1, μοχθηρός, πονηρός in signf. 11, Ammon.Diff.p.94 V., Arc.71.16, but Hdn.Gr.1.197 (ap.Eust.341.14) argues that like other Adjs. in -ρος these words ought to be oxyt. in both senses. In the voc. the best codd. always give μόχθηρε, Ar.Ach. 165,Ra.1175, Pl.391; cf. πονηρός.