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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wasting
Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Jan. 2026
Owning my gear has significantly streamlined my travel experience — no more wasting time in long rental lines, dealing with mystery-smelling boots that have seen better days, or forking out cash for rentals every season.
—Erica Paige, Travel + Leisure, 8 Jan. 2025
No more wasting time.
—Dallas News, 4 Oct. 2022
One that’s too large may be overkill, using up too much electricity and unnecessarily wasting floor space.
—Brett Dvoretz, chicagotribune.com, 1 Apr. 2021
The highly contagious disease was so wasting and terrifying that those who died of it were believed to leave their graves, infecting relatives and draining away blood and life, scholars have said.
—Author: Michael E. Ruane, Anchorage Daily News, 1 Aug. 2019
Britta Miller, The Washington Examiner, 5 Apr. 2026
But after wasting a big opportunity in the fifth, the Angels broke through in the sixth.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026
Missing obvious calls and wasting time.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026
But Swanson isn’t ready to endorse reverse framing, a conceptual strategy in which catchers could try to make strikes look like balls in an effort to fool opposing hitters into wasting a challenge.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 31 Mar. 2026
In the wake of a catastrophic stick, the bulb stops wasting energy on repair and instead focuses on wintering.
—Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
April and May are typically the most active months for severe thunderstorms in Texas and, as the calendar flips to April on Wednesday, Mother Nature isn’t wasting any time.
—Anthony Franze, San Antonio Express-News, 31 Mar. 2026
First-year manager Craig Stammen is wasting little time getting his bench players into the starting lineup.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026
Shares of Sarepta rose more than 20% in early trading Wednesday after the company presented preliminary data on a pair of treatments for rare, muscle-wasting diseases.
—Damian Garde, STAT, 25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
No more wasting time using a cutter or, even worse, shredding by hand.
—Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Jan. 2026
Owning my gear has significantly streamlined my travel experience — no more wasting time in long rental lines, dealing with mystery-smelling boots that have seen better days, or forking out cash for rentals every season.
—Erica Paige, Travel + Leisure, 8 Jan. 2025
No more wasting time.
—Dallas News, 4 Oct. 2022
One that’s too large may be overkill, using up too much electricity and unnecessarily wasting floor space.
—Brett Dvoretz, chicagotribune.com, 1 Apr. 2021
The highly contagious disease was so wasting and terrifying that those who died of it were believed to leave their graves, infecting relatives and draining away blood and life, scholars have said.
—Author: Michael E. Ruane, Anchorage Daily News, 1 Aug. 2019
Verb
The resolution emphasized that Bouchat is wasting taxpayer money and said his failure to perform duties is slowing down the chamber.
—Britta Miller, The Washington Examiner, 5 Apr. 2026
But after wasting a big opportunity in the fifth, the Angels broke through in the sixth.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026
Missing obvious calls and wasting time.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026
But Swanson isn’t ready to endorse reverse framing, a conceptual strategy in which catchers could try to make strikes look like balls in an effort to fool opposing hitters into wasting a challenge.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 31 Mar. 2026
In the wake of a catastrophic stick, the bulb stops wasting energy on repair and instead focuses on wintering.
—Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
April and May are typically the most active months for severe thunderstorms in Texas and, as the calendar flips to April on Wednesday, Mother Nature isn’t wasting any time.
—Anthony Franze, San Antonio Express-News, 31 Mar. 2026
First-year manager Craig Stammen is wasting little time getting his bench players into the starting lineup.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026
Shares of Sarepta rose more than 20% in early trading Wednesday after the company presented preliminary data on a pair of treatments for rare, muscle-wasting diseases.
—Damian Garde, STAT, 25 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wasting
Adjective
-
In 2004, after years of incompetent, wasteful and corrupt agencies obstructing basic and legal public records requests, the California Assembly and Senate voted unanimously to put Proposition 59 before voters.—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Directing government resources to study an outcome with precisely zero chance of occurring represents a wasteful use of taxpayers’ money and legislative time that could be directed toward more productive and realistic policy goals.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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More than one in three West Virginia households is considered energy burdened, spending more than 6% of their income on electricity and other fuel costs.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 Apr. 2026
-
After photos emerged of New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel spending time with NFL reporter Dianna Russini at a luxury hotel in Arizona, Russini said the photos were taken out of context and her employer has come to her defense.—
Doha Madani,
NBC news,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Hamas’ charter calls for destroying Israel.—
Wafaa Shurafa,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
-
When season five begins, Ed is a leader in the separatist group the Sons and Daughters of Mars, a former agent of the ruling order now intent on destroying it.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Anthropic's showdown with the Pentagon this year left OpenAI looking like the bad guy, and just this week Bloomberg reported that demand is weakening for private shares of OpenAI in the secondary market.—
Alexei Oreskovic,
Fortune,
3 Apr. 2026
-
But those safeguards appear to be weakening.—
Jennifer Elias,Jonathan Vanian,
CNBC,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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McIlroy at least steadied himself after losing the lead.—
Doug Ferguson,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Apr. 2026
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The overwhelming grief of losing a child became even worse when a detective gave her a notebook from Audree’s locker.—
Meena Duerson,
CNN Money,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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And thanks to their merino wool blend—helpful for moisture control and odor resistance—I did’t have to worry about ruining good shoes with gross foot sweat.—
Christa Sgobba,
Glamour,
31 Mar. 2026
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The young Wolverines had already taken their leave with figurative Texas tread marks ruining their silky white, maize and blue uniforms.—
Cedric Golden,
Austin American Statesman,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The professor, who previously taught at Ferris State University in Michigan, acknowledged Denver’s softening apartment market, where vacancy is at its highest point since 2010.—
Matthew Geiger,
Denver Post,
7 Apr. 2026
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Despite the rate of unemployment remaining low, the labor market has shown signs of softening.—
Domenico Montanaro,
NPR,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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But profligate spending wasn’t the only way inflation weighed on bonds.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
20 Mar. 2026
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This season on the road, Newcastle have been particularly profligate in possession.—
Chris Waugh,
New York Times,
5 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wasting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wasting. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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