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
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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
Fear and Loathing in Cleveland: Trump's RNC Acceptance Speech
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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.
The group has told donors that it offers “near-term and longer-term protection against wasteful government spending and any and all new taxes on personal property and personal assets.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026
Tonda Eckert has done a phenomenal job with Saints but I still think City will come out comfortable winners, as long as they are not as wasteful as they were against Burnley.
From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026
“It is shameful that he used Ken’s name as the example of those who supposedly aren’t carrying their fair share of the burdens associated with New York City’s often costly and wasteful spending,” Beeson wrote.
From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026
Let’s say your friend buys an expensive designer bag every year, a practice you find wasteful or just silly.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026
Most of us liked our apples without skins, and Dad thought this was wasteful.
From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
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.
