1
as in spending
to use up carelessly
he wasted his lottery winnings on booze-soaked nights with gold diggers
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in weakening
to diminish the physical strength of
endless months of inactivity wasted him
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in wasteful
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Dissimilar Words
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
Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 30 Sep. 2025
Talk about wasting our valuable resource.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 29 Sep. 2025
As the country sinks in the OECD’s PISA rankings (international tests of 15-year-olds’ skills), voters blame the youth, smart-phones, Islam, or a political class wasting public money.
—Renaud Foucart, Time, 28 Sep. 2025
The water-resistant fabric protects the rest of your carry-on from spills, and the slim, structured design tucks neatly into your bag without wasting precious space.
—Alesandra Dubin, Travel + Leisure, 25 Sep. 2025
For almost 30 years, the Golden Watchdog and Fleece Awards have been a key fundraiser for the nonprofit — and a thorn in the side of public agencies on the receiving end of unwelcome attention for wasting government resources.
—Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Sep. 2025
The unit is giving up over 30 points per game and has been wasting some of the best ball Prescott has played in a Cowboys uniform.
—Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Sep. 2025
Stop wasting time building fake relationships.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
So although he was drafted last summer and made his professional debut this spring, the Blue Jays decided there was no reason to keep wasting his filth in games that don't count.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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.
—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
Adjective
Denim has long been branded one of the most climate-adverse, chemical-heavy, water-wasting fabrics to mill and manufacture.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 30 Sep. 2025
Talk about wasting our valuable resource.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 29 Sep. 2025
As the country sinks in the OECD’s PISA rankings (international tests of 15-year-olds’ skills), voters blame the youth, smart-phones, Islam, or a political class wasting public money.
—Renaud Foucart, Time, 28 Sep. 2025
The water-resistant fabric protects the rest of your carry-on from spills, and the slim, structured design tucks neatly into your bag without wasting precious space.
—Alesandra Dubin, Travel + Leisure, 25 Sep. 2025
For almost 30 years, the Golden Watchdog and Fleece Awards have been a key fundraiser for the nonprofit — and a thorn in the side of public agencies on the receiving end of unwelcome attention for wasting government resources.
—Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Sep. 2025
The unit is giving up over 30 points per game and has been wasting some of the best ball Prescott has played in a Cowboys uniform.
—Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Sep. 2025
Stop wasting time building fake relationships.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
So although he was drafted last summer and made his professional debut this spring, the Blue Jays decided there was no reason to keep wasting his filth in games that don't count.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wasting
Verb
-
This summer’s transfer window was a record-setting one, with Premier League teams spending more than £3billion — seven of the 20 clubs paid the highest fee in their history — as the division outspent Europe’s other four major leagues combined.—
Liam Tharme,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
-
In 2024, Detroit Free Press' Georgea Kovanis shared her experiences spending a year, along with photographer Mandi Wright, with Amanda, a woman addicted to drugs who is helping others like her, distributing harm reduction items that have saved lives.—
Detroit Free Press staff,
Freep.com,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Since then, the Internet has gone about its immemorial business of destroying all incumbent forms of media; not content with vampirizing print, the digital space began sucking the life from pay-TV a dozen years ago.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
3 Oct. 2025
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Critics say returning the company without meaningful payment undercuts accountability and the compensatory purpose of the judgments; others note trustees and Judge Lopez have to avoid value-destroying, prolonged processes.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
If the economy is not weakening, but strengthening, the outlook for inflation could tilt higher.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Equal-weight consumer discretionary has been under a bit of pressure, with restaurant and travel names weakening, and is now clearly underperforming the broad market on a one-year basis.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
What are these wasteful projects doing?—
Steve Inskeep,
NPR,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Insurers have long argued that prior authorization reduces fraud and wasteful spending, as well as prevents potential harm.—
Lauren Sausser,
Miami Herald,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Since then, eight Cup Final series have featured a Canadian team, with more than half of them — the Vancouver Canucks (1994, 2011), Calgary Flames (2004) and Oilers (2006, 2024) — losing in Game 7s.—
Rob Rossi,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
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Ed is left alone on the farm after impulsively killing that brother (whose actual death might have been accidental) for breaking up the family unit and, the next year, losing Augusta to complications from a stroke.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Or pursue the rancid criminal element across the galaxy as a bounty hunter, making your fortune by ruining bad guys' lives.—
Alan Bradley,
Space.com,
7 Oct. 2025
-
So much so that the official Carol Burnett Show YouTube channel has several 15-minute salutes of Burnett, Harvey Korman, Tim Conway, Vicki Lawrence, and others busting up and ruining the bit.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Nozawa approached the decor with the goal of softening the architecture's hard lines and surfaces, while channeling the color palette of the building materials.—
Monika Biegler Eyers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
1 Oct. 2025
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Speaking in New York, the central bank policymaker noted risks to both higher inflation and a softening labor market that are keeping officials on their toes.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Tens of thousands have been fleeing the city, which has seen Israel demolishing high-rise buildings.—
Caitlin Danaher,
CNN Money,
20 Sep. 2025
-
Preservationists stepped in to keep the company from its standard practice of demolishing a vacant building.—
Cheryl V. Jackson,
IndyStar,
18 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wasting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wasting. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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