wastrel

[wey-struhl]

noun

1. a wasteful person; spendthrift.

   The wastrel had squandered his inheritance, and then came to her, looking for a handout.

2. Chiefly British.

   1. refuse; waste.

   2. a waif; abandoned child.

   3. an idler or good-for-nothing.

wastrel

/ ˈweɪstrəl /

noun

1. a wasteful person; spendthrift; prodigal

2. an idler or vagabond

Word History and Origins

Origin of wastrel¹

First recorded in 1580–90; waste + -rel

Example Sentences

Its inhabitants are those of “there will always be an England” England: stern vicars, timid curates, lords and earls, penniless titled wastrels living on allowances from their uncles, imperious aunts, upper-crust twits.

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The story of three young suburban wastrels looking for a way out of the American capitalist wasteland struck me as a luxury we can’t really afford at this hinge moment in history.

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“Let’s get rid of this wastrel. He’s not worth the effort.”

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As Kaplan points out — and as Jefferson knew — Virginia’s agrarian population had its share of “loafers, wastrels, alcoholics, gamblers, sexual adventurers, and abusive husbands.”

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But he wants to shake the dust from the name of Getty: to show that the majority are not drug-addled wastrels but productive citizens.

Read more on New York Times