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.
“Too much time wasted on traveling, too much work!”
From Barron's • Apr. 26, 2026
Students do receive a £5,000‑a‑year training bursary, which does not have to be repaid, prompting questions about whether public money is being wasted if graduates cannot find work.
From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026
Coming of age during the social media boom, Esquivias said she always felt like she wasted her childhood on screens when she should have been playing outside or exploring hobbies.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026
I don’t ever want anyone to come to a space that I’ve curated and leave uninspired, because that means that I’ve wasted your time.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026
Late that afternoon—eighteen hours after the president's death—he made his first incision into Garfield's wasted body.
From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow
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.
