as in wasteful
given to spending money freely or foolishly
the nightclub's ridiculous prices seem geared to squandering revelers with more money than sense
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in wastefulness
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
1
as in spending
to use up carelessly
squandered all her money gambling in casinos
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dispersing
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 squandering
Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 5 Feb. 2026
Kiké Hernández followed with a flyout to complete the squandering.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2025
Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Apr. 2026
Jason Dickinson also scored twice for the Oilers, who trailed 3-2 entering the third after squandering a 2-0 lead.
—ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026
Jason Dickinson also scored twice for the Oilers, who trailed 3-2 entering the third after squandering a 2-0 lead.
—CBS News, 20 Apr. 2026
Hitters chasing, squandering chances, failing to support a pitcher fighting without his best stuff.
—Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2026
The Nuggets won a thriller on Christmas in Denver, squandering a lead late in the fourth quarter, courtesy of an Edwards triple at the end of regulation, only to then rally themselves to steal the game in overtime.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 17 Apr. 2026
The administration of Baltimore County Executive Kathy Klausmeier is following in the footsteps of its predecessor by squandering taxpayers’ money to conceal information from the public that the public has the absolute right to know.
—David Plymyer, Baltimore Sun, 26 Mar. 2026
House Republicans tore into Democrats on Wednesday evening over what several GOP members described as squandering an opportunity to question Attorney General Pam Bondi about her handling of the Epstein files.
—Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 19 Mar. 2026
The sweeping breadth of the trade probes also risks alienating partners and squandering the goodwill needed to forge a collective response to address Chinese industrial overcapacity, according to experts.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 13 Mar. 2026
Noun
This is the sort of managerial aimlessness the Post is being governed by, just one example of the missteps and squandering of opportunity framed as strategy.
—Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 5 Feb. 2026
Kiké Hernández followed with a flyout to complete the squandering.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2025
Verb
In 2005 his team failed to add a second Champions League title after squandering a 3–0 lead versus Liverpool FC to lose on penalties in one of the most dramatic finals in the competition’s history.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Apr. 2026
Jason Dickinson also scored twice for the Oilers, who trailed 3-2 entering the third after squandering a 2-0 lead.
—ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026
Jason Dickinson also scored twice for the Oilers, who trailed 3-2 entering the third after squandering a 2-0 lead.
—CBS News, 20 Apr. 2026
Hitters chasing, squandering chances, failing to support a pitcher fighting without his best stuff.
—Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2026
The Nuggets won a thriller on Christmas in Denver, squandering a lead late in the fourth quarter, courtesy of an Edwards triple at the end of regulation, only to then rally themselves to steal the game in overtime.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 17 Apr. 2026
The administration of Baltimore County Executive Kathy Klausmeier is following in the footsteps of its predecessor by squandering taxpayers’ money to conceal information from the public that the public has the absolute right to know.
—David Plymyer, Baltimore Sun, 26 Mar. 2026
House Republicans tore into Democrats on Wednesday evening over what several GOP members described as squandering an opportunity to question Attorney General Pam Bondi about her handling of the Epstein files.
—Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 19 Mar. 2026
The sweeping breadth of the trade probes also risks alienating partners and squandering the goodwill needed to forge a collective response to address Chinese industrial overcapacity, according to experts.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 13 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for squandering
Adjective
-
Flameless induction cooking ranges, waste management and composting, oil purifying machines—all part of a large attempt to make luxury a little less wasteful.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Some conservative politicians have pushed to defund NPR and PBS for reasons ranging from concerns of bias to wasteful spending.—
Corey Hutchins,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
McGinn wants passes crisp fired into him and, with Villa’s best passer, Youri Tielemans, coming back to full fitness, the previous wastefulness in the final third may be remedied for good.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Gabriel also acknowledged lawmakers’ responsibility to oversee state spending seriously as well, and would be scrutinizing government programs for wastefulness.—
Andrew Graham,
Sacbee.com,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The 23-year-old, boxed out of the Yankees’ Opening Day roster despite spending the entire 2025 season in the majors, was called up from Triple-A on Monday.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Since making their water landing, the three Americans and one Canadian who set out on the lunar journey have been busy, spending recent weeks reuniting with family, debriefing the mission and making media appearances – all while adapting to life back on Earth.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Officers deployed pepper spray and rubber bullets to repel the crowd; a smaller gathering of about 200 people assembled peacefully on Sunday before dispersing.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2026
-
As the bow and stern sections tore free from one another, the ship's contents were ejected and rained down across the ocean floor, dispersing everything from luggage and dinnerware to engine parts and personal belongings.—
Jordan Runtagh,
PEOPLE,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Such profligacy slows real income growth, deters hiring, discourages innovation and drives up interest rates.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Such profligacy slows real income growth, deters hiring, discourages innovation and drives up interest rates.—
Bloomberg Opinion,
Twin Cities,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Boston has not won a playoff series since, finishing last in back-to-back years before returning to the postseason last season and losing to the Yankees in the wild-card round.—
Jimmy Golen,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Winning is obviously much more fun than losing, but losing is part of it.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
To come up with its data, Turbli analyzed eddy dissipation rates, which categorizes turbulence scores into light, moderate, moderate/severe, severe, and extreme.—
Michael Cappetta,
Travel + Leisure,
21 Apr. 2026
-
The cooling technology is much in need of the hour for AI, as traditional heat-dissipation and power-supply architectures are rapidly approaching their physical limits.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
There is only an outdated technicality that forces grocery stores to heat chickens and cool them back down just to comply, wasting energy, degrading quality, and adding cost.—
Kelly McCarthy,
ABC News,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Rosenior’s pre-game decision to switch to a back three only seemed to further unsettle his out-of-form side, with Brighton creating — and wasting — numerous other high-quality chances.—
Liam Twomey,
New York Times,
21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Squandering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squandering. Accessed 30 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
