as in extravagant
given to spending money freely or foolishly
my one wasteful child always seemed to run out of money by midweek
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wasteful
The ad hoc Department of Government Efficiency team, or DOGE, has been accessing sensitive data across the federal government in recent months and has been using allegations of wasteful and fraudulent spending to justify dismantling government agencies.
—
Stephen Fowler, NPR, 9 May 2025
Under the previous administration, SSA promoted radical and wasteful DEI and gender ideology while employees worked from home.
—Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025
Tossing a half-full bottle of sunscreen may seem wasteful, but if it is expired, you absolutely should get rid of it.
—Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Apr. 2025
The directive calls for a comprehensive transformation strategy that includes streamlining the Army's force structure, eliminating wasteful spending, overhauling the acquisition process, and modernizing outdated defense contracts.
—Amanda Castro
hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for wasteful
Stephen Fowler, NPR, 9 May 2025
Under the previous administration, SSA promoted radical and wasteful DEI and gender ideology while employees worked from home.
—Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025
Tossing a half-full bottle of sunscreen may seem wasteful, but if it is expired, you absolutely should get rid of it.
—Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Apr. 2025
The directive calls for a comprehensive transformation strategy that includes streamlining the Army's force structure, eliminating wasteful spending, overhauling the acquisition process, and modernizing outdated defense contracts.
—Amanda Castro
hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for wasteful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wasteful
Adjective
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On Tuesday, May 13, Trump's visit included a coffee ceremony, participation in a Saudi-U.S investment forum, a visit to a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an extravagant state dinner.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
15 May 2025
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The family has plowed some of their wealth into an extravagant fleet of roughly a dozen Airbus and Boeing airliners converted into luxurious rides for a small number of passengers, as well as smaller business jets from Bombardier and Dassault.—
Jeremy Bogaisky,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2025
Adjective
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The most profligate agencies in the history of the entire world are the Department of Defense and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.—
Jay Cost,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Mar. 2025
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That is often viewed by us profligate, protein-burning, fat-loving energy spendthrifts as an inferior form of metabolism.—
Stephen S. Hall,
Time,
21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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At work, that can be an effective way to share success stories and build a reputation as someone who is not only funny, but generous in sharing what worked.—
Dr. Diane Hamilton,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2025
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The sets are more generous in size so sleeping in these might be akin to swimming in a pool of soft decadence.—
Yelena Moroz Alpert,
Architectural Digest,
16 May 2025
Adjective
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Galle’s father worked for Marie Antoinette, but the French Revolution unsurprisingly had a major impact on the aristocratic market for spendthrift furnishings like this.—
Christopher Knight,
Los Angeles Times,
21 May 2024
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Those could have been used to constrain distributions to or for the benefit of the spendthrift child.—
Martin Shenkman,
Forbes,
20 Feb. 2024
Adjective
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Then Ananya’s prodigal son, Vikram, arrives home unexpectedly after leaving the restaurant and his family years before, sparking fury and jealousy from his hard-working sister Vaidehi.—
Pamela Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 May 2025
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Andrew texted the image far and wide to announce the prodigal son’s arrival.—
Cullen Daly,
Glamour,
10 May 2025
Adjective
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Youngest brother Dante is reckless and indebted to dangerous criminals.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
15 May 2025
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On Sunday, officers arrested the suspect in South San Francisco and booked him into San Mateo County jail on charges of hit-and-run causing injury and reckless evading.—
Jason Green,
Mercury News,
14 May 2025
Adjective
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Although Hill initially received two tickets for careless driving and not wearing a seat belt, they were dismissed after the officer who cited him didn’t show up to the Miami-Dade traffic hearing.—
C. Isaiah Smalls II,
Miami Herald,
15 May 2025
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Of those fires, 90% were caused by careless human activity, the agency said.—
Caitlin Danaher,
CNN Money,
14 May 2025
Adjective
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Republicans have painted their deportation push as a commonsense measure being obstructed by out-of-touch liberal élites siding with bloodthirsty criminals.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
16 May 2025
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The ice cream company is known for supporting liberal causes and candidates.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
16 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wasteful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wasteful. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
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