as in wasteful
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1
as in spending
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 destroying
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 weakening
to diminish the physical strength of
endless months of inactivity wasted him
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of wasting
Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 31 May 2026
Getting warships into the water is hard enough without wasting funds on vessels unlikely ever to sail.
—Editorial, Boston Herald, 30 May 2026
After spending most of Friday night wasting scoring opportunities, Adrian Lopez and his USC teammates headed into the ninth inning with plenty of confidence.
—Jose De Jesus Ortiz, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2026
And dietitians are sharing concerns about malnutrition and muscle wasting.
—Sara Moniuszko, USA Today, 29 May 2026
Madonna asked at the top of the clip, wasting no time getting down and dirty for details on the group's preferences.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 29 May 2026
The real shame of it Monday was wasting a quality start from Canning.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 May 2026
But Boise only put six shots on target, wasting a raft of opportunities.
—Idaho Statesman, 24 May 2026
Reduced to nine players after two direct red cards, including one to starting goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz, Bay FC eventually fell 1-0 to Chicago Stars FC on Sunday at PayPal Park, wasting a chance to build momentum in its last home game in eight weeks before the international break.
—Harold Gutmann, Mercury News, 24 May 2026
Verb
The International Football Association Board (IFAB) has announced a raft of landmark rule changes that will come into force ahead of this summer’s World Cup, with the overarching objectives being to tackle discrimination, cut time-wasting, increase match tempo and improve fan and player experience.
—Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 31 May 2026
Getting warships into the water is hard enough without wasting funds on vessels unlikely ever to sail.
—Editorial, Boston Herald, 30 May 2026
After spending most of Friday night wasting scoring opportunities, Adrian Lopez and his USC teammates headed into the ninth inning with plenty of confidence.
—Jose De Jesus Ortiz, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2026
And dietitians are sharing concerns about malnutrition and muscle wasting.
—Sara Moniuszko, USA Today, 29 May 2026
Madonna asked at the top of the clip, wasting no time getting down and dirty for details on the group's preferences.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 29 May 2026
The real shame of it Monday was wasting a quality start from Canning.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 May 2026
But Boise only put six shots on target, wasting a raft of opportunities.
—Idaho Statesman, 24 May 2026
Reduced to nine players after two direct red cards, including one to starting goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz, Bay FC eventually fell 1-0 to Chicago Stars FC on Sunday at PayPal Park, wasting a chance to build momentum in its last home game in eight weeks before the international break.
—Harold Gutmann, Mercury News, 24 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wasting
Adjective
-
The city controller has no power over local policy, legislation or the city’s budget, but can often shed light on wasteful spending or fraud and pressure politicians by releasing audits and reports on city departments.—
Sandra McDonald,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
-
Is its packaging consciously designed or needlessly wasteful?—
Eden Stuart,
Allure,
29 May 2026
Verb
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After spending some time by the pool, a semi-Olympic lined with emerald and malachite mosaics that glinted in the soft, ambient light, followed by a quick trip to the sauna, I was escorted to my treatment room, about a half-flight of stairs up, where I was met by Marcia, my therapist.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
4 June 2026
-
These features help give you an idea of your most up-to-date financial status without spending much time manually logging information or allocating every dollar.—
Faith Wakefield,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
Verb
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It was compounded when a West Contra Costa storage unit caught fire, destroying Alvin’s belongings, their mother testified.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
29 May 2026
-
Truly domesticating bees required a hive with movable frames, one that would allow beekeepers to examine their bees and harvest honey without destroying the colony.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 May 2026
Verb
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Brooks Koepka, who rejoined the PGA Tour from LIV Golf in January, withdrew from the Charles Schwab Challenge at the last minute despite being originally scheduled to play, further weakening the field.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
31 May 2026
-
Second, some worry that some of the financial safeguards and market disciplines developed after previous crises may be weakening.—
Robert Ginsburg,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Verb
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Meanwhile, the public has become critical of the war as gas prices continue to soar and Republicans face losing control of the House in the upcoming November Congressional elections.—
Peter Lucas,
Boston Herald,
30 May 2026
-
But losing on penalties will still make this moment one of the worst in their career.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
Verb
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Undefeated this season on clay, the 15th-seeded Ukrainian player reached the quarterfinals at the French Open for the first time on Sunday by taking out four-time champion Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-1 and ruining her birthday.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
31 May 2026
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Here's how to identify black spot and prevent it from ruining your roses.—
Leanne Potts,
Better Homes & Gardens,
29 May 2026
Verb
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With inflation surging, wages softening and borrowing costs high thanks to elevated interest rates, the incentive to protect this money is particularly strong now.—
Matt Richardson,
CBS News,
1 June 2026
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But softening Republican support on specific policy matters — including top voter priorities, such as the economy — have begun raising questions among experts whether further erosion is possible.—
Ana Ceballos,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2026
Adjective
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The measure is clearly a state limit on profligate local governments’ ability to raise taxes.—
Steven Greenhut,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
-
Young Canvot’s error against AEK Larnaca at Selhurst Park in late October, a game in which Palace were profligate — the story of their season — meant they were beaten by the Cypriot side.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wasting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wasting. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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