wasteful
Americanadjective
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given to or characterized by useless consumption or expenditure.
wasteful methods; a wasteful way of life.
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grossly extravagant; prodigal.
a wasteful party.
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devastating or destructive.
wasteful war.
adjective
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tending to waste or squander; extravagant
-
causing waste, destruction, or devastation
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of wasteful
Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at waste, -ful
Explanation
Someone who's wasteful uses and disposes of things carelessly. A wasteful child might eat two bites of yogurt and then throw the rest of the container away. You can be wasteful with your money, spending too much of it on unimportant things. Some people are wasteful with food, ordering too much at a restaurant and leaving most of it on the plate. It's possible to be wasteful with almost anything that you squander without thinking about, including electricity or heat or even your own creative energy. The Latin root of waste is vastus, "empty or desolate."
Vocabulary lists containing wasteful
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Wasteful habits are harmful when they start to impact financial security.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 27, 2026
Wasteful use of the shiny substance seemed to be everywhere, from grocery and clothing stores to the packaging of Amazon orders.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 19, 2019
Wasteful and inefficient, they reflect executive overconfidence, ambition or self-interest.
From Washington Post • Oct. 21, 2018
Wasteful in possession, passive as a defensive midfielder and a non-event going forward.
From BBC • Aug. 26, 2016
If there is no disruption And everything seems in balance, Wasteful action is corruption Of the purest talents.
From A Hero and a Great Man by Kruckvich, Francis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
