1
as in wastefulness
an instance of spending money or resources without care or restraint
it seems like a waste to spend my entire paycheck on a bigger TV
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in garbage
discarded or useless material
gathered up the waste when he was finished sewing
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in desert
land that is uninhabited or not fit for crops
an area that was a barren waste after the strip-mining had ended
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4
as in dung
solid matter discharged from an animal's alimentary canal
a local ordinance requiring dog owners to properly dispose of their pet's waste
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5
as in expansion
a wide space or area
a legendary mariner doomed to sail the watery wastes of the world until Judgment Day
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6
as in erosion
a gradual weakening, loss, or destruction
the slow waste of the once broad beach by the relentless tide
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to spend
to use up carelessly
he wasted his lottery winnings on booze-soaked nights with gold diggers
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2
as in to ruin
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of
one country attempting to waste another
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3
as in to weaken
to diminish the physical strength of
endless months of inactivity wasted him
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in barren
producing inferior or only a small amount of vegetation
waste acreage that was not fit for anything
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of waste
Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
But what a waste of a great comic.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 30 Jan. 2026
Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
Fans who haven’t gotten to experience a particular match yet should get to do so instead of the seats going to waste.
—Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Lauren Weber, WSJ, 17 May 2021
The new anti-waste law aims to encourage buyers to repair their devices rather than replace them with new products.
—Chris Smith, BGR, 26 Feb. 2021
See All Example Sentences for waste
Noun
Mrvan helped Northwest Indiana land a hydrogen hub for BP’s Whiting Refinery, a project to turn waste carbon into hydrogen.
—Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
But what a waste of a great comic.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 30 Jan. 2026
Verb
Sean McVay did not waste any time attempting to address the Rams’ problematic special teams going into next season.
—Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
Fans who haven’t gotten to experience a particular match yet should get to do so instead of the seats going to waste.
—Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
For many of them, working at a high-growth company with a feel-good, anti-waste mission had felt like the pinnacle of their working lives.
—Lauren Weber, WSJ, 17 May 2021
The new anti-waste law aims to encourage buyers to repair their devices rather than replace them with new products.
—Chris Smith, BGR, 26 Feb. 2021
See All Example Sentences for waste
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waste
Noun
-
Gabriel also acknowledged lawmakers’ responsibility to oversee state spending seriously as well, and would be scrutinizing government programs for wastefulness.—
Andrew Graham,
Sacbee.com,
13 Jan. 2026
-
While an eight-game winning run saw Cherki, Foden and Haaland hit their devastating best, three frustrating draws against Sunderland, Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion were characterised by wastefulness in front of goal.—
Thom Harris,
New York Times,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
According to the Wall Street Journal, less than the burning of wood and garbage.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
1 Feb. 2026
-
In Churchill, the trash sites have all been bear-proofed (enclosed so the animals can’t graze among the garbage), but not so in Arviat, where Inuit enforcers show up in their buggies to honk loudly and chase the bears away from open-air landfills.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
After vacations in Hawaii, Italy and then Thailand, some season 3 cast members hoped the location of the upcoming season might be somewhere snowy, while others wished for a desert.—
Amarachi Orie,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
-
There are also on-demand classes for desert bathing, sound baths, boxing, and more for a $20 fee each.—
Asonta Benetti,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The streets are begrimed by factory smoke, fecund with horse dung and lit by lanterns.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
-
These rodents left 15 pieces of dung on top of the dishwasher.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
19 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Howard, who had served as a second lieutenant with the Ninety‑Second Division, 366th Infantry in France during World War I, accused President Truman of using the Cold War to justify a sweeping peacetime expansion of America’s global military footprint.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
-
India is positioning itself as the testbed where energy infrastructure meets AI expansion.—
Güney Yıldız,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Heavy snow, strong winds and coastal impacts such as beach erosion would be confined to areas right along the coast from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, as the storm turns into a bomb cyclone and moves northeastward through Monday.—
Andrew Freedman,
CNN Money,
27 Jan. 2026
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Storms, mudslides and erosion also routinely have caused short-term closures in the Malibu area, where the road is typically known as the Pacific Coast Highway, adding to a long list of the highway’s costly and inconvenient repairs.—
Grace Toohey,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Conservative talk radio has long dominated the commutes of California Republicans, many of whom once spent their mornings reading local newspaper opinion pages that leaned right.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
2 Feb. 2026
-
But the Rabelaisian playwright and novelist developed a deep interest in French literature, nourished by a transformative period spent living in post-war Paris.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
1 Feb. 2026
-
To say much more would be to ruin the wild twists and turns that unfold as the night marches onward.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Waste.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waste. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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