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
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
19 June 2026
Watching students use that platform to walk out on the CEO of one of the world’s most consequential companies clearly struck him as a squandering of rare privilege.
—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
15 June 2026
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
Daniel De Visé,
USA Today,
28 June 2026
Last season ended with a play-in game collapse, the Clippers squandering a 13-point, fourth-quarter lead to the Golden State Warriors at home.
—
Los Angeles Times,
21 June 2026
San Antonio was down by 14 midway through the final quarter, after already squandering a double-digit lead of its own, then went on a 14-0 run to tie the game, then briefly took the lead when Wembanyama had a three-point play with just under a minute left.
—
Ryan Morik Outkick,
FOXNews.com,
6 June 2026
So this also is a big, fat L for the Bears, which overplayed its hand and mismanaged the entire process, squandering all kinds of good will in the process.
—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
1 June 2026
The military rulers who seized power in 1966 would use that failure as a pretext to maintain their hold on power, accusing the civilian government of corruption and squandering the nation’s wealth.
—
ABC News,
31 May 2026
John Woods, Lombard Odier’s Asia chief investment officer, warned that many families risk squandering wealth without stronger governance and planning frameworks.
—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
29 May 2026
Some CEOs are using tokens to track how their teams are deploying AI, from the productive tokenmaxers overhauling their departments to the tone-deaf dabblers squandering compute on useless projects.
—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
20 May 2026
Houston looked good from the start in this one after squandering a six-point lead in the final 26 seconds of regulation in a devastating 112-108 overtime loss Friday night.
—
CBS News,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
An everyman figure squeezing every bit of talent from his frame, a boy who returned to working as a fisherman after the first squandering of his football dream, from a family that could not always afford to buy him studded boots.
—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
19 June 2026
Watching students use that platform to walk out on the CEO of one of the world’s most consequential companies clearly struck him as a squandering of rare privilege.
—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
15 June 2026
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
Verb
Iyanla Vanzant, the program’s host, chided Holmes for squandering much of her fortune, buying properties and paying allowances to hangers-on.
—
Daniel De Visé,
USA Today,
28 June 2026
Last season ended with a play-in game collapse, the Clippers squandering a 13-point, fourth-quarter lead to the Golden State Warriors at home.
—
Los Angeles Times,
21 June 2026
San Antonio was down by 14 midway through the final quarter, after already squandering a double-digit lead of its own, then went on a 14-0 run to tie the game, then briefly took the lead when Wembanyama had a three-point play with just under a minute left.
—
Ryan Morik Outkick,
FOXNews.com,
6 June 2026
So this also is a big, fat L for the Bears, which overplayed its hand and mismanaged the entire process, squandering all kinds of good will in the process.
—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
1 June 2026
The military rulers who seized power in 1966 would use that failure as a pretext to maintain their hold on power, accusing the civilian government of corruption and squandering the nation’s wealth.
—
ABC News,
31 May 2026
John Woods, Lombard Odier’s Asia chief investment officer, warned that many families risk squandering wealth without stronger governance and planning frameworks.
—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
29 May 2026
Some CEOs are using tokens to track how their teams are deploying AI, from the productive tokenmaxers overhauling their departments to the tone-deaf dabblers squandering compute on useless projects.
—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
20 May 2026
Houston looked good from the start in this one after squandering a six-point lead in the final 26 seconds of regulation in a devastating 112-108 overtime loss Friday night.
—
CBS News,
27 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for squandering
Adjective
-
But the district acknowledged in public meetings and in our interviews that all the water leaking and evaporating along the way is wasteful.
-
That change feeds a French argument over air conditioning, still distrusted by many in much of Europe — dismissed as wasteful or unecological.
Noun
-
The Bosnia captain got himself an assist, made a goal-line clearance, and was partly responsible for Cyle Larin’s 78th-minute equaliser, which ensured Canada’s wastefulness didn’t stop them from earning a first World Cup point.
-
Gabriel also acknowledged lawmakers’ responsibility to oversee state spending seriously as well, and would be scrutinizing government programs for wastefulness.
Verb
-
The child, identified by authorities as Klieber Moran, was rescued after spending six days trapped beneath the rubble, Rodríguez said.
-
After spending two years in the Chicago Cubs organization as a consultant and scout, Little restarted his managerial career with the Dodgers, reuniting with some of his former players, including Nomar Garciaparra and Derek Lowe.
Verb
-
The initiative is designed to encourage travelers to spend more time at famous cultural attractions by dispersing the visitor numbers more evenly throughout the day.
-
The superintendent highlighted the teen trend at 57th Street Beach during Memorial Day weekend when officers made 70 arrests and recovered 15 guns while dispersing people from the lakefront.
Noun
-
Control was wrested back towards the end of the period, a sign of better things to come, even if that profligacy that has dogged them so much reared once again in stoppage time at the end of the half.
-
Such profligacy slows real income growth, deters hiring, discourages innovation and drives up interest rates.
Verb
-
Panama can't make anything of its counter attacks and keeps losing the ball in transition.
-
Sweden finished third in Group F, winning its first game by four goals and losing its second by the same margin.
Noun
-
Allowing airflow to pass through the structure increases heat dissipation by 91% and lowers surface temperatures by 10%, so performance isn't compromised.
-
These cooling elements provide an additional heat dissipation pathway from the high-bandwidth memory (HBM) package.
Verb
-
Official processes for making purchases are bureaucratic and slow, and procurement teams often decide to take matters into their own hands, wasting money in the process.
-
China is not wasting any time in getting this plank of the plan off to a robust start, and that matters.
Cite this Entry
“Squandering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squandering. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
