WASTING Synonyms: 304 Similar and Opposite Words

wasting 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of wasting

as in wasteful

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Dissimilar Words

wasting

2 of 2

verb

present participle of waste

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

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

as in weakening

to diminish the physical strength of endless months of inactivity wasted him

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 wasting

Verb

As Mars and Saturn clash, avoid wasting your energy trying to fight FOMO! — Usa Today, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026 The Dodgers dropped another one-run heartbreaker in Detroit, wasting Blake Snell’s five innings of one-run baseball as the Tigers walked off with a 2-1 win. — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026 School uniforms can avoid many of these issues, keeping kids in the classroom rather than the front office and preventing staff from wasting time trying to enforce commonly problematic policies. — Amy Morin, Parents, 27 Aug. 2026 After scoring the game’s first run in the top of the 10th, the Angels gave up two with two outs in the bottom of the inning, losing to the Texas Rangers, 2-1, on Friday night, once again wasting a scoreless start from Reid Detmers. — Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 22 Aug. 2026 Personalize Outreach To Dream Customers Stop wasting your tiny budget trying to scream at a cold, massive audience. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026 Hurzeler singled out David Raya for criticism over time-wasting when the Arsenal goalkeeper went down for treatment in the second half of that March encounter. — Andy Naylor, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026 Skeptics say such psychic profilers do more harm than good by wasting police resources and exploiting grieving families. — Amanda Musa, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2026 But the speedy predators have been unable to outrun a wasting disease that's killed billions of sea stars. — John Ryan, NPR, 16 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wasting

Adjective

Take a look at who is spending tax money responsibly — on ballfields, water-quality projects, help for victims of crime, no-kill animal shelters and other popular priorities — and who is being wasteful.

— Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 Aug. 2026
Republican response But conservatives said those policies inflated enrollment by attracting fraudulent and wasteful coverage.

— Christine Mai-Duc, NPR, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of wasteful

Verb

He was allowed to leave the country, spending weeks at a rehab facility in Switzerland.

— Bob Harkins, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026
In the sweet snaps, the mother-son duo could be seen spending time together on the beach, posing after a tennis lesson and hanging out on vacation.

— Georgia Slater, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of spending

Verb

Demonstrators carrying Spanish flags moved toward beachside migrant camps last week, destroying shelters and setting fires as police attempted to keep protesters and migrants apart, according to Spain’s public broadcaster RTVE and news agency EFE.

— Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Several homeowners near Meta’s massive Newton County data center have filed a lawsuit accusing the tech company and others of tainting their water and destroying their rural way of life.

— Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of destroying

Verb

Throughout this year, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has been weakening the Navy’s leadership by blocking the promotion of nearly 20 admirals.

— Andrea N. Goldstein, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026
Wheat futures hit their highest level in more than three years as the war in Ukraine strained supplies, further weakening the global food system.

— Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of weakening

Adjective

This shift occasioned the profligate production that would mark her oeuvre, with Kusama going on to make hundreds of paintings in which forests of lines and dots cradled variously floral and phallic figures.

— News Desk, Artforum, 27 Aug. 2026
Just as life in industrial urban centers in the nineteenth century caused hardship in rural villages, the profligate lifestyles enjoyed by those of us in the Global North are underwritten by the immiseration of those in the Global South.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 July 2026

Definition of profligate

Verb

The Horned Frogs crushed the Tar Heels 48-14 in last year’s season opener at Chapel Hill, ruining the college coaching debut of six-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick.

— Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Aug. 2026
So, are invasives ruining the state’s waters, or is the state on the way to becoming the everyman’s Amazon, embraced by the folks who can’t afford the jungle lodge experience?

— Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of ruining

Verb

From removing stubborn stains to softening scratchy towels, vinegar consistently tackles the problems that detergents and fabric softeners sometimes leave behind.

— Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Sep. 2026
Meanwhile, the vitamins, delivered via skin-softening plant oils, help moisturize and firm the skin.

— Jenny Berg, Vogue, 31 Aug. 2026