as in wasteful
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1
as in spending
to use up carelessly
he wasted his lottery winnings on booze-soaked nights with gold diggers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in destroying
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of
one country attempting to waste another
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in weakening
to diminish the physical strength of
endless months of inactivity wasted him
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wasting
Erica Paige, Travel + Leisure, 8 Jan. 2025
No more wasting time.
—Dallas News, 4 Oct. 2022
One that’s too large may be overkill, using up too much electricity and unnecessarily wasting floor space.
—Brett Dvoretz, chicagotribune.com, 1 Apr. 2021
The highly contagious disease was so wasting and terrifying that those who died of it were believed to leave their graves, infecting relatives and draining away blood and life, scholars have said.
—Author: Michael E. Ruane, Anchorage Daily News, 1 Aug. 2019
Ali Pantony, Glamour, 9 Jan. 2026
People become paralyzed by choice and the risk of wasting time on something bad.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 9 Jan. 2026
When the production had to travel upstate to shoot in a bowling alley, for example, Fisk also built the set for the gas station scene there in order to avoid wasting any time.
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 6 Jan. 2026
The tube is filled with 1 fluid ounce of cream and is capped with a small pump to get the perfect amount of serum—without losing or wasting any precious product.
—Gabriela Izquierdo, Southern Living, 2 Jan. 2026
Merz’s government is therefore pressed to better justify this change in policy and put its unprecedented additional funds to good use instead of wasting them.
—Sudha David-Wilp, Foreign Affairs, 23 Dec. 2025
Then, on fourth down, Vero Beach had its quarterback run back about 20 yards into the rear of the end zone, wasting as much time as possible before taking a safety.
—Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 18 Dec. 2025
If that’s making a staff change, making multiple personnel changes or drastically overhauling the scheme, something will have to happen to not continue wasting one of the best offenses in the NFL.
—Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Dec. 2025
The California Republican Party, which was supposed to serve as the No side’s get-out-the-vote force, has been accused of wasting millions of dollars on a mail program.
—Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
Owning my gear has significantly streamlined my travel experience — no more wasting time in long rental lines, dealing with mystery-smelling boots that have seen better days, or forking out cash for rentals every season.
—Verb
Don’t bother wasting your money—using it more than once a day won’t yield ‘better’ or faster results.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for wasting
Adjective
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Trump has criticized the renovations as excessive and wasteful while Powell calls them needed improvements to the century-old headquarters.—
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As was mentioned in your editorial, the Broward school district has been incompetently managed, wasteful and corrupt for years.—
Verb
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Some warning signs to watch out for include your child being more socially withdrawn, spending more time on electronic devices or their grades dropping.—
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After dealing with a respiratory condition and undergoing surgery, a 16-year-old Short began spending winters in Florida with family friends, per a doctor's recommendation who believed the milder climate would help improve her health.—
Verb
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By the 1960s, gas flares and untreated waste spillage were destroying their forests.—
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And there is a risk of the parasites becoming dormant for years before reactivating and destroying a new cornea.—
Verb
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Milk, butter and cheese prices on the wholesale market and at grocery stores have decreased slightly due to oversupply and weakening consumer demand.—
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This suggests consumers enter 2026 with continuing concerns over high prices and weakening labor market conditions.—
Verb
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Over the past year, CBS has experienced several controversies and new ownership that led to new leadership, which have some critics accusing the network of losing its credibility.—
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The Tigers, who beat Texas 70-65, were in the top 10 most of the season before losing their first two SEC games.—
Verb
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And, from this week’s issue, Nicola Twilley’s reporting on another lingering effect of the wildfires—smoke taint that is ruining grapes and threatening California’s wine industry.—
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The video then shows the man asking if the situation was ruining Kaleel's Christmas.—
Verb
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Each of the eight luxurious scents is packed with softening coconut oil and shea butter.—
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Fischer especially recommends making sound-softening updates in rooms with higher ceilings, open layouts, and hardwood flooring, all of which can amplify echo and reverb.—
Adjective
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This season on the road, Newcastle have been particularly profligate in possession.—
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The profligate spending of the Biden administration and the monetary mismanagement of the Federal Reserve caused both home prices and interest rates to skyrocket, a deadly one-two punch that knocked out the housing market.—
Cite this Entry
“Wasting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wasting. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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