wasted

American  

[wey-stid] / ˈweɪ stɪd /

adjective

1. waste.

2. done to no avail; useless.

   wasted efforts.

3. physically or psychologically exhausted; debilitated.

   to be wasted by a long illness.

4. Slang. overcome by the influence of alcohol or drugs.

5. Archaic. (of time) gone by.

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wasted British  

/ ˈweɪstɪd /

adjective

1. not exploited or taken advantage of

   a wasted opportunity

2. useless or unprofitable

   wasted effort

3. physically enfeebled and emaciated

   a thin wasted figure

4. slang showing signs of habitual drug abuse

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Other Word Forms

• unwasted adjective
• wastedness noun

Etymology

Origin of wasted

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; waste, -ed ²

Example Sentences

And if AI agents are not kept on course by a human, they could misunderstand an instruction and wander down an errant processing path, resulting in a business paying for wasted computing power.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

“Harvard sued us. Harvard stonewalled us on document requests to which we were entitled. Harvard is defiant. And they’ve wasted time with settlement negotiations that I believe were not in good faith.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

Governments have wasted no time in implementing preventative and emergency measures to stretch supplies and cushion the price shock but worryingly, she finds that signs of physical tightening are already apparent.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 27, 2026

That said, there were also errors and wasted opportunities.

From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026

I had not wasted the talents and opportunities God gave me, and I’d tried to be, as my mom put it, the best Simone I could be.

From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles

Related Words

• ripped
• stoned
• tipsy