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
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Recent Examples of squandered
Yet, despite this opening, the North Londoners have squandered their opportunity, matching their rivals in dropping crucial points.
—
Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Evan Peters and Rebecca Hall, who play the law-enforcement partners leading the investigation, have a natural chemistry that’s promptly squandered when Hall’s character gets infected and turns into a younger, supposedly more attractive version of herself.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2026
Anthony Edwards scored 38 points for the Timberwolves (27-17), who squandered a 15-point lead and closed out a four-game trip with three straight losses.
—CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026
But on Monday, there was only that pit-of-your-stomach gnawing concoction of disappointment, frustration and emptiness that foments when a chance for history is squandered.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 20 Jan. 2026
Midfielder Pape Gueye netted the 94th-minute winner after Morocco’s star player Brahim Diaz had squandered the chance to win it for the home side by fluffing the last-gasp penalty in normal time following a 14-minute delay.
—Reuters, NBC news, 18 Jan. 2026
The last came Monday night, when the AFC North champions squandered some early momentum before getting drilled 30-6 by Houston, the most lopsided home playoff loss in team history.
—Will Graves, Baltimore Sun, 13 Jan. 2026
The last came Monday night, when the AFC North champions squandered some early momentum before getting blown out 30-6 by the Houston Texans, the most lopsided home playoff loss in team history.
—Will Graves, Chicago Tribune, 13 Jan. 2026
Cuba has squandered the goodwill of governments across the ideological spectrum.
—Ricardo Torres, Time, 8 Jan. 2026
Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Evan Peters and Rebecca Hall, who play the law-enforcement partners leading the investigation, have a natural chemistry that’s promptly squandered when Hall’s character gets infected and turns into a younger, supposedly more attractive version of herself.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2026
Anthony Edwards scored 38 points for the Timberwolves (27-17), who squandered a 15-point lead and closed out a four-game trip with three straight losses.
—CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026
But on Monday, there was only that pit-of-your-stomach gnawing concoction of disappointment, frustration and emptiness that foments when a chance for history is squandered.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 20 Jan. 2026
Midfielder Pape Gueye netted the 94th-minute winner after Morocco’s star player Brahim Diaz had squandered the chance to win it for the home side by fluffing the last-gasp penalty in normal time following a 14-minute delay.
—Reuters, NBC news, 18 Jan. 2026
The last came Monday night, when the AFC North champions squandered some early momentum before getting drilled 30-6 by Houston, the most lopsided home playoff loss in team history.
—Will Graves, Baltimore Sun, 13 Jan. 2026
The last came Monday night, when the AFC North champions squandered some early momentum before getting blown out 30-6 by the Houston Texans, the most lopsided home playoff loss in team history.
—Will Graves, Chicago Tribune, 13 Jan. 2026
Cuba has squandered the goodwill of governments across the ideological spectrum.
—Ricardo Torres, Time, 8 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for squandered
Verb
-
The numbers have been slowly ticking up for over a year – a rare bit of good news for a government that has spent billions of dollars for more than a decade encouraging people to do just that.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
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The department also spent more than $17 million on support staff and administrative compensation.—
Matt Murschel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In case of a Soviet attack, nukes dispersed in thousands of miles of cut-and-cover tunnels could be launched within 20 minutes.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
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Participants were also asked to discuss whether markets should be centrally located, located on the South and West sides or dispersed throughout the city.—
Talia Soglin,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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About 15 to 20 years ago, Felton gave his father a book about a man who lost his daughter and encountered God in a cabin in the woods.—
Kristine Phillips,
IndyStar,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Around 20-50% of the input energy is lost as waste heat in industries.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
It's never wasted in the singing lesson.—
Sari Hitchins,
Parents,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The result is wasted energy, excess heat, and diminishing returns on efficiency improvements that once accompanied each generation of smaller transistors.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Squandered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squandered. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
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