wastrels

noun

plural of wastrel
as in spendthrifts
someone who spends money freely or foolishly the black sheep of the family, he ended up being a wastrel and a drunkard

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of wastrels Foster died destitute in 1864, after falling and injuring himself in the bathroom of a hotel on the Bowery, becoming perhaps the first of many famous wastrels in American popular music. — David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 2 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wastrels
  1. wasters
  2. spenders
  3. high rollers
Noun
  • Include categories for deep work, admin tasks, communication, and time wasters.
    — Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Definition of wasters
Noun
  • Two years later, the program is no longer swimming against that current — perhaps not at the price point of the Big Ten’s highest spenders, but much closer.
    — Justin Williams, New York Times, 27 July 2026
  • Investors will keep an eye on the megacaps to see just how much longer the current dynamic — in which the big AI spenders are punished as semiconductor makers are rewarded — can last.
    — Sarah Min, CNBC, 24 July 2026
Definition of spenders
Noun
  • The kind of one-on-one coaching high rollers get at physical tables, in his telling, becomes available to anyone on the site.
    — Boaz Sobrado, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
  • There’s no special plaque or a wing at the museum for these high rollers of rock — just bragging rights of influence and popularity.
    — Devon Ivie, Vulture, 14 May 2026
Definition of high rollers

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wastrel
wastrels
watch
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Cite this Entry

“Wastrels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wastrels. Accessed 28 Jul. 2026.

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