as in wasteful
given to spending money freely or foolishly
spendthrift consumers had amassed a mountain of debt on their credit cards
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in wastrel
someone who carelessly spends money
the spendthrift managed to blow all of his inheritance in a single year
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spendthrift
The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 13 Jan. 2026
It would be accompanied by state audits into how spendthrift local governments overcharge for roads, school construction and parks.
—Stephen Moore, Boston Herald, 19 Sep. 2025
R29 Team, Refinery29, 10 Sep. 2025
More specifically, the claimant wanted the Court to void a spendthrift provision in the Delaware trust.
—Martin Shenkman, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for spendthrift
Adjective
That is all the more reason the state must get a better handle on its spendthrift ways.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 13 Jan. 2026
It would be accompanied by state audits into how spendthrift local governments overcharge for roads, school construction and parks.
—Stephen Moore, Boston Herald, 19 Sep. 2025
Noun
Their spending habits were that of a spendthrift, and there was only one parent really making any income.
—R29 Team, Refinery29, 10 Sep. 2025
More specifically, the claimant wanted the Court to void a spendthrift provision in the Delaware trust.
—Martin Shenkman, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for spendthrift
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spendthrift
Adjective
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Republicans opposing the extension had said the assistance went to insurers, incentivizing fraud and wasteful coverage.—
Tribune News Service,
Boston Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
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The efforts of the county Board of Supervisors to essentially create a duplicate unit is another example of wasteful spending.—
U T Readers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
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He was raised on Chicago’s North Side by a wastrel father and a mother who struggled to put food on their table.—
Ron Grossman,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Aug. 2025
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Ridley, traumatized by the cancer death of her mother and considered mostly a wastrel by those around her for pursuing a degree in the dread-inducing major of art history, knows a thing or two about the mythology behind these kindly rainbow-spewing creatures.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
12 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Chief among the outside spenders are generically named political action committees launched by pro-Israel, pro-artificial intelligence development, pro-cryptocurrency and pro-cloud data center interests.—
Dan Petrella,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Mar. 2026
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Jackson Health, the county’s public hospital system, is the fourth-largest spender of property tax dollars in the budget, receiving $282 million.—
Douglas Hanks
March 13,
Miami Herald,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Twenty-six James Bond films (the 25 Eon joints, plus the prodigal Never Say Never Again) are coming to Netflix this month.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
2 Jan. 2026
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Secrets are revealed, prodigals return, intolerances surface and family bonds are tested.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
17 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Start with your biggest time waster and build from there.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
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For example, default settings for focus time added blocking of sites in the categories Shopping, Tabloids, and Time wasters.—
PCMAG,
PCMAG,
13 Jan. 2025
Noun
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As nouveau riche neighbor Yermolái (Lance Gardner) tries to impress upon the profligate Liubóv that her property is in arrears and about to be auctioned off, the rules and tone of their world still seem unsettled under the direction of Carey Perloff.—
Theater Critic,
San Francisco Chronicle,
5 Feb. 2026
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In some ways, the game was set up for him, with Villa profligate but still regularly creating chances.—
Jacob Tanswell,
The Athletic,
18 Aug. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Spendthrift.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spendthrift. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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