1
as in spent
to use up carelessly
squandered all her money gambling in casinos
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dispersed
to cause (members of a group) to move widely apart
a single blast of the shotgun squandered the herd of deer
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of squandered
Led by Succession standout Sarah Snook (also an executive producer) and The White Lotus’ perfectly punchable Jake Lacy, in roles that lazily lift elements from those performances, the formidable cast is squandered.
—
Judy Berman, Time, 6 Nov. 2025
In between those latter two home runs, Isiah Kiner-Falefa was thrown out at home by an inch; Andy Pages, a defensive substitution, quite literally ran over Hernandez to make a catch and save the season; and even the Dodgers squandered their own opportunity in the 10th.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 5 Nov. 2025
But that penalty would have never existed had Florida not squandered two drives in the final eight minutes, both in representative fashion.
—Noah White, Miami Herald, 2 Nov. 2025
San Diego had a chance to do the same, but squandered two leads, and put three penalties off target — two over the bar and one off the bar.
—Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
But those opportunities were often squandered.
—Quentin Corpuel, Kansas City Star, 31 Oct. 2025
The Yankees squandered an opportunity to win a championship with Aaron Judge and Juan Soto.
—Aaliyan Mohammed, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
Just not the results — a beloved teammate’s career night wasted, a homecoming squandered.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 24 Oct. 2025
That last hope is squandered when Grace instead taps Hal to serve as her second-in-command.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 18 Oct. 2025
Judy Berman, Time, 6 Nov. 2025
In between those latter two home runs, Isiah Kiner-Falefa was thrown out at home by an inch; Andy Pages, a defensive substitution, quite literally ran over Hernandez to make a catch and save the season; and even the Dodgers squandered their own opportunity in the 10th.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 5 Nov. 2025
But that penalty would have never existed had Florida not squandered two drives in the final eight minutes, both in representative fashion.
—Noah White, Miami Herald, 2 Nov. 2025
San Diego had a chance to do the same, but squandered two leads, and put three penalties off target — two over the bar and one off the bar.
—Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
But those opportunities were often squandered.
—Quentin Corpuel, Kansas City Star, 31 Oct. 2025
The Yankees squandered an opportunity to win a championship with Aaron Judge and Juan Soto.
—Aaliyan Mohammed, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
Just not the results — a beloved teammate’s career night wasted, a homecoming squandered.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 24 Oct. 2025
That last hope is squandered when Grace instead taps Hal to serve as her second-in-command.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 18 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for squandered
Verb
-
Yianni and Plousia have spent 40 years running their beloved seaside Greek diner, which serves as a warm hub of laughter, stories, food and community.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
10 Nov. 2025
-
In Kotlik, a village of just over 650 residents almost 220 miles north of Kipnuk, 70 people spent two nights at the school.—
Emily Schwing,
NPR,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
In March, some hard-line proponents of the hijab staged a protest—and were dispersed by security forces, a rare reversal of fortunes.—
Arash Azizi,
The Atlantic,
7 Nov. 2025
-
For the festival, more than 50 vendor booths and artists, as well as 11 wineries and a distillery, were dispersed across the grounds.—
Regina Elling,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
That, too, had echoes of last season, when City, the reigning champions, lost their way completely after a promising start, winning just one match out of 13 in all competitions between late October and late December.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
8 Nov. 2025
-
The major hubs of O'Hare, Atlanta, Denver and Dallas-Fort Worth rounded out the top five airports for cancellations, but those airports only lost around 3% of their flights.—
JOSH FUNK,
Arkansas Online,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
While Skenes' early years are apparently being wasted in a Pittsburgh organization that refuses to spend money to create a playoff-contending roster around him, the Pirates could build from within to create a strong team a few years down the road by stockpiling top prospects, Rymer argued.—
Jon Vankin,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
-
The offense underachieved in 2025 and wasted a strong season from the starting rotation.—
Stephen J. Nesbitt,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Squandered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squandered. Accessed 23 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share