wastrel

noun

wast·​rel ˈwā-strəl 

also ˈwä-

1

: vagabond, waif

2

: one who expends resources foolishly and self-indulgently : profligate

Synonyms of wastrel

• spendthrift
• prodigal
• waster
• spender

Examples of wastrel in a Sentence

the black sheep of the family, he ended up being a wastrel and a drunkard

Recent Examples on the Web

Delery ruminates on her wastrel youth. — Literary Hub, 9 Apr. 2026

Selby is a wastrel with a criminal past, yet his mother keeps providing him with soft places to fall. — Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2023

He was raised on Chicago’s North Side by a wastrel father and a mother who struggled to put food on their table. — Ron Grossman, Chicago Tribune, 3 Aug. 2025

The always-entertaining Bruce Turk steals all his scenes as Ranevskaya’s spoiled and wastrel brother, Leonid Gayev. — Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Mar. 2023

Word History

Etymology

irregular from waste entry 2

First Known Use

circa 1841, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

wastrel

noun

wast·​rel ˈwā-strəl 

: spendthrift