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
Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 20 Mar. 2026
Other medications act like poison, killing kidney tubule cells, which help to filter wastes and reabsorb nutrients.
—Jyoti Madhusoodanan, Scientific American, 17 Mar. 2026
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
Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 14 Mar. 2026
This not only wastes money and product, but also exposes pollinators and other wildlife to unnecessary chemicals.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 8 Mar. 2026
Traditional manufacturing of refractory metals wastes up to 95% of the raw material through machining – removing unwanted material to create the precise shape – but 3D printing can bring that figure close to zero.
—Vitor Rielli, The Conversation, 4 Mar. 2026
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
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
Noun
This digital commute creates heat and wastes power.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 20 Mar. 2026
Other medications act like poison, killing kidney tubule cells, which help to filter wastes and reabsorb nutrients.
—Jyoti Madhusoodanan, Scientific American, 17 Mar. 2026
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
Verb
War wastes innocent lives, trillions of dollars and time better spent on, for example, global climate change and the necessary global cooperation needed to address it.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 14 Mar. 2026
This not only wastes money and product, but also exposes pollinators and other wildlife to unnecessary chemicals.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 8 Mar. 2026
Traditional manufacturing of refractory metals wastes up to 95% of the raw material through machining – removing unwanted material to create the precise shape – but 3D printing can bring that figure close to zero.
—Vitor Rielli, The Conversation, 4 Mar. 2026
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wastes
Noun
-
Major dental work to remove her broken and decaying teeth, concentrated nutrition, antibiotics, vaccines, a spay surgery and an introduction to such simple luxuries as an indoor bed and gentle touch have all been part of Gertie’s healing.—
News Release,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
-
The food is consistently good, but the view and the vibes are the real luxuries.—
Jenna Curcio,
Condé Nast Traveler,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Parks turned into deserts, great skyscrapers leveled by blows from the tails of the monsters, and the entire population threatened in the panic and pestilence that followed the invasion.—
Rick Kogan,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Satellite communication enables users to stay connected in remote areas such as mountains, deserts, offshore locations, and disaster zones.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The world’s continents are fringed by vast expanses of sand and mud.—
David George Haskell,
Big Think,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Driving east on Route 80 toward the Meta site in Holly Ridge, an unincorporated rural community about 15 minutes east of Rayville—the landscape is defined by flat expanses of soybean and cotton fields, punctuated by grain silos, grazing cows, and the occasional tractor.—
Sharon Goldman,
Fortune,
26 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
-
Marty is self-absorbed, forgetful, doesn’t much like people and spends hours online looking for advice about how to be a handyman.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
28 Mar. 2026
-
The first two will be built in Finland while the company spends between $700 million to $1 billion to renovate the shipyards in the ports of Galveston and Port Arthur, Texas.—
Lori Ann LaRocco,
CNBC,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The extreme heat kills the plant tissue immediately and typically destroys the roots of many weed species.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Kansas City Star,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Intrigued, the Duke secretly seduces Gilda, breaks her heart and destroys Rigoletto’s life.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In the state’s view, that weakens or muddies the legal boundary between the two types of gambling venues.—
Amanda Greenwood,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Justice delayed weakens deterrence.—
Romy Ellenbogen,
Miami Herald,
31 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 1 Apr. 2026.
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