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Synonyms

wasting

American  
[wey-sting] / ˈweɪ stɪŋ /

adjective

  1. gradually reducing the fullness and strength of the body.

    a wasting disease.

  2. laying waste; devastating; despoiling.

    the ravages of a wasting war.

noun

  1. Geology. mass wasting.

wasting British  
/ ˈweɪstɪŋ /

adjective

  1. (prenominal) reducing the vitality, strength, or robustness of the body

    a wasting disease
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • nonwasting adjective
  • wastingly adverb
  • wastingness noun

Etymology

Origin of wasting

1200–50; Middle English; see waste, -ing 2, -ing 1

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.

During the World Wars, ads aggressively pitched everything from recruiting to war bonds, and cautioned against wasting resources, not to mention having loose lips.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

"Immediately, it was as if we were wasting this doctor's time and he was quite curt with Meg," Helen said.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

They’re not just wasting their money on a whim.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

Greer said the "new order" would involve agreements between smaller groups of countries, rather than "wasting years and even decades to agree on a lowest-common denominator".

From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026

Instead of wasting any more time, Jack took out the witch’s knife and used it to slice through the lock, which it cut through as easily as it had the trees in the Black Forest.

From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley

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.