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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in wastefulness
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Dissimilar Words
1
as in spending
to use up carelessly
squandered all her money gambling in casinos
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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
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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
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
And yet, overall, the Premier League is squandering this tremendous edge with bad recruitment choices, building unbalanced squads or teams short of experience at huge cost.
—James Horncastle, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2026
In recent weeks, the Lakers had become accustomed to squandering double-digit leads or struggling to spark runs when trailing.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 4 Mar. 2026
Last week, the wind-power green scam artists were back in federal court, arguing to be permitted to keep squandering billions more on those insane offshore windmills that produce next to no energy, but plenty of pollution.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 1 Feb. 2026
A day after squandering a three-goal lead in a 4-3 overtime loss at Washington, Aho made sure the Hurricanes didn’t blow a 2-0 lead against the Kings.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 Feb. 2026
But McCurdy’s furious writing—her dystopian rendering of a culture squandering its dreams and desires on the crack high of cheap stuff—is hard to tear yourself away from.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 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
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
And yet, overall, the Premier League is squandering this tremendous edge with bad recruitment choices, building unbalanced squads or teams short of experience at huge cost.
—James Horncastle, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2026
In recent weeks, the Lakers had become accustomed to squandering double-digit leads or struggling to spark runs when trailing.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 4 Mar. 2026
Last week, the wind-power green scam artists were back in federal court, arguing to be permitted to keep squandering billions more on those insane offshore windmills that produce next to no energy, but plenty of pollution.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 1 Feb. 2026
A day after squandering a three-goal lead in a 4-3 overtime loss at Washington, Aho made sure the Hurricanes didn’t blow a 2-0 lead against the Kings.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 Feb. 2026
But McCurdy’s furious writing—her dystopian rendering of a culture squandering its dreams and desires on the crack high of cheap stuff—is hard to tear yourself away from.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for squandering
Adjective
-
Republicans opposing the extension had said the assistance went to insurers, incentivizing fraud and wasteful coverage.—
Tribune News Service,
Boston Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
-
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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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
-
Despite spending the majority of his life in North Carolina and part of his youth in Charlotte, Miller noted that the 49ers’ campus was completely different from his last time turning off Highway 49.—
Hunter Bailey,
Charlotte Observer,
26 Mar. 2026
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Newer models have refined the design and added more high-tech features, but the iPhone X offers that iconic modern-day iPhone aesthetic for much cheaper; instead of spending close to $1,000, this model costs less than $165.—
Cierra Cowan,
PC Magazine,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The glass rear panel is highly reflective, dispersing glare in all directions.—
Eric Zeman,
PC Magazine,
25 Mar. 2026
-
The missiles are the largest of Iran’s submunition-dispersing arsenal.—
Melanie Lidman,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Such profligacy slows real income growth, deters hiring, discourages innovation and drives up interest rates.—
Bloomberg Opinion,
Twin Cities,
29 Mar. 2026
-
There was a profligacy to Palace which was worrying, with plenty of chances created but too many not taken.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But adding regular walking helps signal the body to maintain lean tissue while losing fat.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2026
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And the league nearly got five teams there, with Michigan State losing a tight contest with UConn on Friday night.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The aluminum build is lightweight, sturdy, and handles heat dissipation well, and the 240Hz WQXGA display is bright and colorful, with crisp resolution and good contrast.—
K. Thor Jensen,
PC Magazine,
6 Mar. 2026
-
These atomic motions define heat dissipation, chemical reactions and material properties.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Such a designation, evidently, would save agents from wasting time chasing phantoms.—
Adam Ciralsky,
Vanity Fair,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Avoid space-wasting moves, such as storing tall bottles on the same shelf as short cocktail tumblers.—
Amy Panos,
Better Homes & Gardens,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Squandering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squandering. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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