: using more of something than is needed : causing something valuable to be wasted
a wasteful use of natural resources
a careless and wasteful person
It was a wasteful [=unnecessary] duplication of effort.
We must eliminate wasteful expenditures.
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“Wasteful.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/wasteful. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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