wasted
Americanadjective
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done to no avail; useless.
wasted efforts.
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physically or psychologically exhausted; debilitated.
to be wasted by a long illness.
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Slang. overcome by the influence of alcohol or drugs.
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Archaic. (of time) gone by.
adjective
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not exploited or taken advantage of
a wasted opportunity
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useless or unprofitable
wasted effort
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physically enfeebled and emaciated
a thin wasted figure
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slang showing signs of habitual drug abuse
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of wasted
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at waste, -ed 2
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.
Mostly it felt like a wasted opportunity: A once-beloved team, in a basketball mecca, sinking its future and alienating its fan base with contentious leadership, murky vision and somnambulant play.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026
That would be a start, but it doesn’t really make up for the wasted decade we’ll never get back.
From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026
Feels like a wasted potential for Charles in Miami.
From BBC • May 3, 2026
“Too much time wasted on traveling, too much work! Besides which, there is tremendous infighting and confusion within their leadership.”
From Barron's • Apr. 25, 2026
“We’ve wasted enough time with the protection song. Tonight, we need to get started on the water monster songs. After you sing the lullaby back to me.”
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
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.
