Synonyms of waste

waste 1 of 3

noun

ˈwāst 

1

as in wastefulness

an instance of spending money or resources without care or restraint

it seems like a waste to spend my entire paycheck on a bigger TV

Synonyms & Similar Words

• wastefulness
• luxury
• extravagance
• prodigality
• wastage
• squandering
• indulgence
• splurge
• loss
• dissipation
• excess
• profligacy
• profusion
• overkill
• overindulgence
• self-indulgence
• immoderacy

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• necessity
• saving
• economy
• conservation
• thrift
• frugality
• parsimony
• restraint
• skimping
• moderation
• economizing
• temperance
• scrimping
• austerity
• belt-tightening
• penny-pinching
• temperateness

2

as in garbage

discarded or useless material

gathered up the waste when he was finished sewing

Synonyms & Similar Words

• garbage
• debris
• trash
• rubbish
• junk
• sewage
• dust
• litter
• rubble
• truck
• dross
• refuse
• offal
• chaff
• deadwood
• scrap
• effluvium
• raffle
• spilth
• dreck
• lumber
• wash
• riffraff
• ruins
• wreckage
• detritus
• offscouring
• dump
• swill
• discard
• crud
• scrap heap
• remains
• flotsam
• trumpery
• straw
• nothing
• jetsam
• reject
• cull
• slop
• throwaway
• odds and ends
• two bits
• castoff
• hand-me-down

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• treasure
• prize
• catch
• treasure trove
• pearl
• gem
• plum
• trove
• jewel
• find
• valuable
• salvage
• goody
• booty

3

as in desert

land that is uninhabited or not fit for crops

an area that was a barren waste after the strip-mining had ended

Synonyms & Similar Words

• desert
• barren
• wasteland
• wilderness
• heath
• desolation
• no-man's-land
• brush
• bush
• wild
• dust bowl
• badland
• open air
• open
• outdoors
• out-of-doors
• nature

4

as in dung

solid matter discharged from an animal's alimentary canal

a local ordinance requiring dog owners to properly dispose of their pet's waste

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dung
• soil
• dirt
• excrement
• excreta
• dropping
• feces
• poop
• slops
• muck
• scat
• sewage
• ordure
• doo-doo
• manure
• stool
• guano
• sewerage
• night soil
• dunghill
• midden
• spoor
• coprolite

5

as in expansion

a wide space or area

a legendary mariner doomed to sail the watery wastes of the world until Judgment Day

Synonyms & Similar Words

• expansion
• expanse
• stretch
• length
• plain
• sheet
• extent
• distance
• breadth
• reach
• field
• spread
• depth
• territory
• scope
• spectrum
• domain
• sphere
• sweep
• scale
• void
• extension
• range
• span
• emptiness
• gamut
• compass
• amplitude
• magnitude
• immensity
• latitude

6

as in erosion

a gradual weakening, loss, or destruction

the slow waste of the once broad beach by the relentless tide

Synonyms & Similar Words

• erosion
• corrosion
• decomposition
• undermining
• decay
• attrition
• disintegration
• breakdown
• dissolution

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• increase
• buildup
• gain

waste

2 of 3

verb

1

as in to spend

to use up carelessly

he wasted his lottery winnings on booze-soaked nights with gold diggers

Synonyms & Similar Words

• spend
• lose
• squander
• lavish
• throw away
• misspend
• dissipate
• run through
• trifle (away)
• blow
• fritter (away)
• consume
• fiddle away
• play ducks and drakes with
• splurge
• deplete
• exhaust
• expend
• impoverish
• indulge
• overspend
• disburse
• lay out
• overindulge
• shoot

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• conserve
• save
• economize
• protect
• preserve
• skimp
• hoard
• scrimp
• lay up

2

as in to ruin

to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of

one country attempting to waste another

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ruin
• destroy
• demolish
• wreck
• devastate
• shatter
• damage
• smash
• overcome
• total
• desolate
• tear down
• vaporize
• extinguish
• cream
• annihilate
• pull down
• erode
• pulverize
• decimate
• rub out
• mar
• cripple
• ravage
• raze
• kill
• wrack
• break
• nuke
• remove
• defeat
• dismantle
• blast
• crush
• best
• spoil
• do in
• harm
• injure
• subdue
• disintegrate
• impair
• lick
• win (against)
• deteriorate
• master
• triumph (over)
• conquer
• scotch
• dissolve
• prevail (over)
• trim
• sack
• sweep (away)
• eradicate
• blow up
• thrash
• surmount
• trash
• wear (away)
• slaughter
• dynamite
• mutilate
• disfigure
• rout
• wash out
• wipe out
• deface
• vitiate
• havoc
• scour
• plunder
• whip
• take down
• undo
• obliterate
• mangle
• blot out
• loot
• beat
• cut down
• disassemble
• fell
• unmake
• clobber
• liquidate
• gut
• assassinate
• expunge
• extirpate
• exterminate
• overbear
• murder
• snuff (out)
• despoil
• kill off
• stamp (out)
• overmatch
• skunk
• pillage
• wallop
• butcher
• slay
• take out
• drub
• trample
• root (out)
• dilapidate
• mow (down)
• trounce
• massacre
• execute
• dispatch
• zap
• efface
• vandalize
• unbuild

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• build
• set up
• construct
• raise
• put up
• create
• repair
• erect
• patch
• fix
• produce
• make
• rear
• form
• manufacture
• found
• save
• invent
• shape
• mend
• constitute
• bring about
• protect
• assemble
• mold
• organize
• establish
• fashion
• preserve
• conserve
• frame
• fabricate
• forge
• revamp
• institute
• recondition
• doctor
• restore
• rebuild
• reconstruct
• father
• renovate
• remodel

3

as in to weaken

to diminish the physical strength of

endless months of inactivity wasted him

Synonyms & Similar Words

• weaken
• soften
• exhaust
• tire
• hurt
• sap
• damage
• injure
• debilitate
• paralyze
• enfeeble
• deplete
• devitalize
• enervate
• harm
• cripple
• impair
• depress
• prostrate
• etiolate
• impoverish
• incapacitate
• disable
• grind (down)
• invalid
• hamstring
• lay up
• wash out
• wear out
• wear down
• unman
• break down

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• strengthen
• fortify
• recruit
• energize
• beef (up)
• season
• rejuvenate
• invigorate
• harden
• vitalize
• toughen

waste

3 of 3

adjective

as in barren

producing inferior or only a small amount of vegetation

waste acreage that was not fit for anything

Synonyms & Similar Words

• barren
• desolate
• impoverished
• poor
• unproductive
• bleak
• bony
• unfertile
• dry
• infertile
• dead
• hardscrabble
• desert
• stark
• consumed
• spent
• lifeless
• drained
• thirsty
• expended
• depleted
• reduced
• exhausted
• inhospitable
• uncultivable
• diminished
• untillable
• arid
• waterless
• debilitated
• dehydrated
• droughty
• lessened
• enfeebled
• baked
• dried-up
• sere
• bankrupted
• sunbaked
• parched
• used up
• rainless

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• productive
• rich
• fertile
• fruitful
• lush
• green
• luxuriant
• arable
• tillable
• verdant
• sylvan

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb waste contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of waste are despoil, devastate, pillage, ravage, and sack. While all these words mean "to lay waste by plundering or destroying," waste may imply producing the same result by a slow process rather than sudden and violent action.

years of drought had wasted the area

When would despoil be a good substitute for waste?

In some situations, the words despoil and waste are roughly equivalent. However, despoil applies to looting or robbing without suggesting accompanying destruction.

the Nazis despoiled the art museums

When is it sensible to use devastate instead of waste?

Although the words devastate and waste have much in common, devastate implies the complete ruin and desolation of a wide area.

an earthquake devastated the city

How are the words pillage and sack related as synonyms of waste?

Pillage implies ruthless plundering at will but without the completeness suggested by sack.

settlements pillaged by Vikings

When is ravage a more appropriate choice than waste?

The words ravage and waste are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, ravage implies violent often cumulative depredation and destruction.

a hurricane ravaged the coast

In what contexts can sack take the place of waste?

The synonyms sack and waste are sometimes interchangeable, but sack implies carrying off all valuable possessions from a place.

barbarians sacked ancient Rome

How does the verb waste contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of waste are despoil, devastate, pillage, ravage, and sack. While all these words mean "to lay waste by plundering or destroying," waste may imply producing the same result by a slow process rather than sudden and violent action.

years of drought had wasted the area

When would despoil be a good substitute for waste?

In some situations, the words despoil and waste are roughly equivalent. However, despoil applies to looting or robbing without suggesting accompanying destruction.

the Nazis despoiled the art museums

When is it sensible to use devastate instead of waste?

Although the words devastate and waste have much in common, devastate implies the complete ruin and desolation of a wide area.

an earthquake devastated the city

How are the words pillage and sack related as synonyms of waste?

Pillage implies ruthless plundering at will but without the completeness suggested by sack.

settlements pillaged by Vikings

When is ravage a more appropriate choice than waste?

The words ravage and waste are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, ravage implies violent often cumulative depredation and destruction.

a hurricane ravaged the coast

In what contexts can sack take the place of waste?

The synonyms sack and waste are sometimes interchangeable, but sack implies carrying off all valuable possessions from a place.

barbarians sacked ancient Rome

How does the verb waste contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of waste are despoil, devastate, pillage, ravage, and sack. While all these words mean "to lay waste by plundering or destroying," waste may imply producing the same result by a slow process rather than sudden and violent action.

years of drought had wasted the area

When would despoil be a good substitute for waste?

In some situations, the words despoil and waste are roughly equivalent. However, despoil applies to looting or robbing without suggesting accompanying destruction.

the Nazis despoiled the art museums

When is it sensible to use devastate instead of waste?

Although the words devastate and waste have much in common, devastate implies the complete ruin and desolation of a wide area.

an earthquake devastated the city

How are the words pillage and sack related as synonyms of waste?

Pillage implies ruthless plundering at will but without the completeness suggested by sack.

settlements pillaged by Vikings

When is ravage a more appropriate choice than waste?

The words ravage and waste are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, ravage implies violent often cumulative depredation and destruction.

a hurricane ravaged the coast

In what contexts can sack take the place of waste?

The synonyms sack and waste are sometimes interchangeable, but sack implies carrying off all valuable possessions from a place.

barbarians sacked ancient Rome

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of waste

Noun

Steiner, a former CEO of the nation’s largest waste management company and a former member of the FedEx board of directors, took over the struggling Postal Service last July. —Susan Haigh, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2026

The digital printing system enables complex artwork and color gradients to be reproduced on lightweight materials, including satin, stretch tulle, and pleated viscose—simultaneously reducing waste and simplifying production processes. —Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 5 Mar. 2026

Verb

Can early dinner reduce stress, guilt, snacking, and waste? —Melissa Willets, Parents, 6 Mar. 2026

Laureano has little time to waste. —Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2026

Adjective

But for sheer novelty in this post-waste world, few companies may top Extract Energy. —Washington Post, 4 Nov. 2021

For many of them, working at a high-growth company with a feel-good, anti-waste mission had felt like the pinnacle of their working lives. —Lauren Weber, WSJ, 17 May 2021

Phrases Containing waste

• waste (away)