1
as in luxuries
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in deserts
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
3
as in expanses
a wide space or area
a legendary mariner doomed to sail the watery wastes of the world until Judgment Day
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in erosions
a gradual weakening, loss, or destruction
the slow waste of the once broad beach by the relentless tide
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in spends
to use up carelessly
he wasted his lottery winnings on booze-soaked nights with gold diggers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in destroys
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of
one country attempting to waste another
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in weakens
to diminish the physical strength of
endless months of inactivity wasted him
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wastes
Kate McKenna, The Spruce, 5 Mar. 2026
If economic rationality alone served as the driving reason for enclosure, then privatizing wastes, land considered no good for farming, would have made no sense.
—Literary Hub, 19 Feb. 2026
Each unsuccessful treatment takes, and wastes, precious time.
—Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 18 Feb. 2026
The structure of geopolymers can also be designed to act as adsorbents, attracting toxic metals in wastewater and capturing and storing radioactive wastes.
—Alcina Johnson Sudagar, The Conversation, 12 Feb. 2026
Acute wastes are those that could kill, permanently incapacitate or otherwise seriously harm people through even small exposures.
—Keith Matheny, Freep.com, 29 Jan. 2026
The test measures the wastes and toxins in your blood.
—Suchandrima Bhowmik, Health, 13 Jan. 2026
Waste is retrieved from aging tanks, contamination plumes are treated, and the vitrification plant has begun immobilizing certain high-level radioactive wastes in glass, a milestone that reshapes the future of the site but doesn’t soften its complexity.
—New Atlas, 14 Dec. 2025
Cutting off funding mid-trial wastes research dollars and puts patients at risk.
—Kerry Breen, CBS News, 18 Nov. 2025
Dallas Morning News, 19 Feb. 2026
Compared to many other countries, Texas wastes an extraordinary amount of water through outdated infrastructure, inefficient consumption, and lack of innovation.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
Puffing also wastes fuel and risks damaging the engine if done repeatedly — another reason drivers shouldn’t make a habit out of it.
—Alexis Simmerman, Austin American Statesman, 27 Jan. 2026
Pekau responded to the decision with a blog post maintaining the lawsuit is politically motivated and wastes taxpayer money.
—Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026
When the worker on the ground has to sweep them up manually, that wastes time and effort.
—Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 19 Jan. 2026
Attempting to pursue an offer without meeting these requirements wastes time and money while interest and penalties continue to accrue.
—Kaitlyn Gomez, USA Today, 19 Jan. 2026
That costs the producer money and wastes the water, land and feed used to make these cuts.
—Sara Place, The Conversation, 16 Jan. 2026
Every team wastes time now, takes long throws.
—Michael Walker, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2026
Noun
Watering between 10 am and 4 pm wastes water; most of it evaporates before reaching roots.
—Kate McKenna, The Spruce, 5 Mar. 2026
If economic rationality alone served as the driving reason for enclosure, then privatizing wastes, land considered no good for farming, would have made no sense.
—Literary Hub, 19 Feb. 2026
Each unsuccessful treatment takes, and wastes, precious time.
—Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 18 Feb. 2026
The structure of geopolymers can also be designed to act as adsorbents, attracting toxic metals in wastewater and capturing and storing radioactive wastes.
—Alcina Johnson Sudagar, The Conversation, 12 Feb. 2026
Acute wastes are those that could kill, permanently incapacitate or otherwise seriously harm people through even small exposures.
—Keith Matheny, Freep.com, 29 Jan. 2026
The test measures the wastes and toxins in your blood.
—Suchandrima Bhowmik, Health, 13 Jan. 2026
Waste is retrieved from aging tanks, contamination plumes are treated, and the vitrification plant has begun immobilizing certain high-level radioactive wastes in glass, a milestone that reshapes the future of the site but doesn’t soften its complexity.
—New Atlas, 14 Dec. 2025
Cutting off funding mid-trial wastes research dollars and puts patients at risk.
—Kerry Breen, CBS News, 18 Nov. 2025
Verb
Fife, the civil rights attorney, said counties’ failures to release people wastes taxpayer dollars but also robs people of their jobs, families and health care.
—Dallas Morning News, 19 Feb. 2026
Compared to many other countries, Texas wastes an extraordinary amount of water through outdated infrastructure, inefficient consumption, and lack of innovation.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
Puffing also wastes fuel and risks damaging the engine if done repeatedly — another reason drivers shouldn’t make a habit out of it.
—Alexis Simmerman, Austin American Statesman, 27 Jan. 2026
Pekau responded to the decision with a blog post maintaining the lawsuit is politically motivated and wastes taxpayer money.
—Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026
When the worker on the ground has to sweep them up manually, that wastes time and effort.
—Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 19 Jan. 2026
Attempting to pursue an offer without meeting these requirements wastes time and money while interest and penalties continue to accrue.
—Kaitlyn Gomez, USA Today, 19 Jan. 2026
That costs the producer money and wastes the water, land and feed used to make these cuts.
—Sara Place, The Conversation, 16 Jan. 2026
Every team wastes time now, takes long throws.
—Michael Walker, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wastes
Noun
-
But both Brink and Foligno are luxuries.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
-
The luxuries afforded to the modern consumer are easily taken for granted, but behind every hotel stay and restaurant meal, there's an intricate network of trade.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
By that measure, this year’s bloom falls short, but experts say what’s on display across SoCal’s deserts is still well worth the drive.—
Cierra Morgan,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Mar. 2026
-
In a place like Reno Tahoe—nestled in between high alpine peaks and vast deserts—there are almost too many outdoor adventures to choose from.—
Ted Alvarez,
Outside,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
As the train moves through the Hudson Valley and up toward the Canadian border, riverfront towns give way to wide expanses of water and distant mountain peaks.—
Lauren Dana Ellman,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Mar. 2026
-
His hymn to Aten is an exercise in majesty, an ode not just to the sun but to the expanses in which our solar system circulates.—
Classical Music Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
He’s known for building intentional cracks and erosions into his works, which often reveal an interior geology of materials like crystals or gears, and more recently, labyrinth staircases populated with small figures, not unlike a surreal antique dollhouse.—
Kristen Tauer,
Footwear News,
11 Mar. 2026
-
These erosions leak into other areas of law.—
Emily Galvin Almanza,
Literary Hub,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
All the Little Animals is a small movie about a young man (Bale) with brain damage suffered in a car accident who comes across a gentle older man (John Hurt) who spends his days burying animals killed on the side of the road.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
7 Mar. 2026
-
The user, in turn, spends more time with the chatbot in a bubble.—
Catherina Gioino,
Fortune,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Unfortunately, as with alcohol, gambling also destroys lives.—
Jim Nowlan,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Israel routinely destroys equipment meant for reconstruction; Human Rights Watch found that Israel had destroyed more than 360 heavy machines — bulldozers, excavators, and factories producing asphalt and cement — in four different attacks in south Lebanon.—
Justin Salhani,
The Dial,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
And if the economy deteriorates and the labor market materially weakens at the same time?—
Allie Canal,
NBC news,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Without this supply from the updraft, the storm weakens and dissipates.—
Mary Wasson,
Austin American Statesman,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Still, Stroheim’s spending was out of control—literally so, insofar as attempting to rein him in seemed to provoke new extravagances.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
17 Jan. 2026
-
The more exciting news for everyone who can’t afford such extravagances is that Malone is promising new music by then.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
4 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wastes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wastes. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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