FIDDLING AWAY Synonyms: 35 Similar and Opposite Words

fiddling away

verb

present participle of fiddle away

as in spending

to use up carelessly fiddled away the entire evening surfing the Internet

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fiddling away

Verb

Originally from Mexico, Casillas immigrated to the United States at age 20 and has now been here for 50 years, spending decades building relationships within the community.

— Sara Rosenthal, Denver Post, 11 Oct. 2026
Later, after Nicole and her mother moved to other parts of the city, Nicole began spending time in Kensington, and Diane eventually moved there to be near her, Halloran-Koren said.

— Danny Freeman, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of spending

Verb

Give workers a reason to share On October 2, Norway’s government and eight employer and union organizations signed an AI agreement running through 2029.

— Christoph Trattner, Fortune, 14 Oct. 2026
The long effort to identify Vietnam’s war dead The recovery is part of a nationwide 500-day campaign running through July 2027 to locate the remains of about 7,000 war dead and identify them.

— Aniruddha Ghosal, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of running through

Verb

In one instance, McGregor pressured the City Council into revoking support for the controversial Interstate 77 South toll lanes project at the threat of losing the caucus’ endorsement, according to multiple council members.

— Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 10 Oct. 2026
Flávio is the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is currently serving a 27-year and three-month sentence under house arrest for plotting a coup d’état after losing the 2022 presidential election.

— Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of losing

Verb

Customers can keep the vessel and return for a new scent instead of throwing away or recycling a candle jar.

— Beret Leone, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
Washington couldn’t spike the ball before time expired, throwing away an easy shot for the game-winning boot.

— Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of throwing away

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

fiddling (around)

fiddling away

fiddlings

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Fiddling away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fiddling%20away. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of fiddling away

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

bon vivant

Popular in Grammar & Usage

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 16

Popular

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

Games & Quizzes