misspent

verb

past tense of misspend
as in spent
to use up carelessly warned that a childhood spent hanging around indoors was a misspent youth indeed

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for misspent
  1. spent
  2. lost
  3. wasted
Verb
  • The network known as Fairshake spent $40 million in 2024 to unseat Brown, then the Senate Banking Committee chair; after Brown lost, crypto antagonist-in-chief Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts replaced him as the panel’s top Democrat.
    — Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 28 Oct. 2026
  • His campaign has a budget of about $30,000 and has spent $7,000 on advertising, running a spot on streaming services in four Texas counties where Libertarians have fared better in recent elections.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of spent
Verb
  • Germany lost its status in science in the 1930s when many leading physicists fled from fascism.
    — Mattanjah de Vries, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Between 2023 and 2026, Florida has lost 80,000 students, returning to 2016 enrollment levels.
    — Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of lost
Verb
  • Amid that scrutiny, Hughes worked feverishly to demonstrate that his plane was viable and that the government’s money had not been wasted.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The 49ers wasted the excellent field position and opportunity to mount a go-ahead drive when Purdy threw his second interception that led to Nick Folk's 31-yard field goal.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of wasted
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

misspends
misspent
misspoke
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Misspent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misspent. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

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