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
In an effort to protect customers from wasteful utility spending, legislators passed a law last spring that requires gas pipeline spending to prioritize safety, be cost-effective and consider alternatives to replacement.
—
Sofia Gilroy, Baltimore Sun, 14 Jan. 2026
Trump has criticized the renovations as excessive and wasteful while Powell calls them needed improvements to the century-old headquarters.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 12 Jan. 2026
As was mentioned in your editorial, the Broward school district has been incompetently managed, wasteful and corrupt for years.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2026
Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, for example, promised to get rid of wasteful government.
—Philip K. Howard, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for wasteful
Sofia Gilroy, Baltimore Sun, 14 Jan. 2026
Trump has criticized the renovations as excessive and wasteful while Powell calls them needed improvements to the century-old headquarters.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 12 Jan. 2026
As was mentioned in your editorial, the Broward school district has been incompetently managed, wasteful and corrupt for years.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2026
Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, for example, promised to get rid of wasteful government.
—Philip K. Howard, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for wasteful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wasteful
Adjective
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The Veyron was Volkswagen Group at its most extravagant and ambitious, and that’s saying something for its time.—
Byron Hurd,
The Drive,
22 Jan. 2026
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President Abraham Lincoln wore cravats, as did Hollywood actor Cary Grant and the extravagant entertainer Liberace.—
Kristina Kukolja,
NPR,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
This season on the road, Newcastle have been particularly profligate in possession.—
Chris Waugh,
New York Times,
5 Jan. 2026
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The profligate spending of the Biden administration and the monetary mismanagement of the Federal Reserve caused both home prices and interest rates to skyrocket, a deadly one-two punch that knocked out the housing market.—
E.J. Antoni,
Mercury News,
28 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Although parts of eastern Oklahoma saw several inches of snow Friday night, the totals were less than the most generous predictions that were made over the past few days.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
25 Jan. 2026
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For one, a Biden-era repayment plan with extremely generous payment terms — which only encourages more high-risk borrowing — will go by the wayside, with borrowers moved into other existing plans.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
25 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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That is all the more reason the state must get a better handle on its spendthrift ways.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
13 Jan. 2026
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It would be accompanied by state audits into how spendthrift local governments overcharge for roads, school construction and parks.—
Stephen Moore,
Boston Herald,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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That’s basically how Lee reacted to the thoughts of the Golden State Warriors, who criticized the way the Hornets defended Charlotte’s prodigal son Steph Curry in the Warriors’ win on Saturday night at Chase Center.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
21 Jan. 2026
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As if Laura is the prodigal daughter returning home, the two women quickly fall into a familiar routine that bears obvious signs of something stranger, including Betty immediately volunteering her real child’s bed and clothes to the total stranger.—
Elaina Patton,
IndieWire,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Later that month, a reckless driver trying to flee police hit and killed a 28-year-old man.—
Francesca Pica,
jsonline.com,
26 Jan. 2026
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The Oceanside City Council recently revised their e-bike ordinance to allow law enforcement to confiscate e-bikes from reckless riders.—
Hannah Elsmore,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Back in 2025, soaring rice prices and careless comments cost then farm minister Taku Eto his job and reportedly prompted former prime minister Shigeru Ishiba to take personal responsibility for lowering prices as a rice shortage took hold.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
22 Jan. 2026
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The problem is that careless usage has gradually shifted the nep-Overton window, expanding the term until it’s lost both its meaning and its bite.—
Hillary Busis,
Vanity Fair,
16 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Opponents worry institutions with more liberal ideologies will file false petitions.—
Shaun Boyd,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
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Otherwise disparate segments of Iranian society, such as the conservative Bazaari merchants hitherto largely loyal to the clerics and more liberal and secular Iranian youth, shared this overarching goal.—
Paul Iddon,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wasteful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wasteful. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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