EN

Synonyms for waste

  • verb
  • noun
  • adjective

Most common

squander spend corrode use up desolate ruin fool away use

Synonyms by meaning

Verb

1. Squander — to wear away by degrees; to impair gradually; to deteriorate; to diminish by constant loss; to use up; to…

squander, spend, corrode, use up, expend, wear away, fritter, exhaust, wear, dissipate, lavish, consume dated, piss away vulgar slang

2. Desolate

desolate, ruin, destroy, ravage, damage, spoil, empty, devastate, loss, sack, lay waste, scourge, despoil, pillage, havoc, abate, strip

3. Fool away

fool away, sink, pine away, decay, decrease, languish, diminish, shrivel, perish, wither, decline, pine

4. Get rid of

use, get rid of, remove

Other

do in, devour formal, lose, kill, rot, rub out, blow, melt, top, disperse, liquidate, macerate dated

Noun

1. Consumption

consumption, extravagance, wastefulness, squandering, dissipation

2. Garbage

garbage US AU CA, rubbish, trash, refuse, litter, junk, scrap, debris, scum, offal, leavings

3. Devastation

devastation, destruction, desolation, dejection

4. Desert

desert, wilderness, barren

Other

run-off, expenditure, run-out, knock-off, voluntary waste, profusion

Adjective

1. Unproductive — uncultivated, uninhabited

unproductive, wild, idle, uncultivated

Antonyms

save, efficiency, reserve

All antonyms of waste →

Definitions

  1. v. 1

    To wear away by degrees; to impair gradually; to deteriorate; to diminish by constant loss; to use up; to consume; to spend; to wear out.

  2. v. 2

    To devastate; to destroy.

  3. n. 1

    Excess of material, useless by-products, or damaged, unsaleable products; garbage; rubbish.

  4. adj. 1

    Uncultivated, uninhabited.

Related words

Phrases
waste time lay waste waste away waste of oxygen waste of space waste pipe nuclear waste waste product

Forms

Plural
wastes → consumptions, extravagances, wastefulnesses, squanderings…
Past participle
wasted
e.g. wasted → squandered, spent, corroded, expended…

Example sentences

  • spend Some families spend their vacation near the beach.
  • expend According to the budget, she could expend no more on supplies.
  • squander Algeria shouldn't squander its opportunities.
  • fritter How much would a meat fritter and a cold Coca-Cola cost?
  • empty An empty stomach doesn't help on the mental front.

Popularity over time

Word1850 → 2019Trend
wastesteady
spendrising
expendfalling
squanderrising
fritterrising
emptyrising

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

3 letters
use1, top1, rot1
4 letters
loss1, lose1, kill1, wear1, wild1, blow1, ruin2, sink1, pine1, melt1, junk1, sack1, scum1, idle2
5 letters
spend1, empty2, strip1, trash1, scrap1, spoil1, decay2, havoc2, abate2, offal
6 letters
damage2, remove2, refuse2, desert2, debris2, litter2, lavish2, barren2, perish2, devour3, wither2, expend2, ravage2
7 letters
destroy2, decline2, garbage2, consume2, rubbish2, exhaust2, scourge1, pillage2, corrode2, shrivel2, fritter2, despoil
8 letters
decrease2, diminish3, disperse2, desolate3, squander2, languish2, leavings2, macerate
9 letters
dissipate3, liquidate3, devastate3, profusion3, dejection
10 letters
wilderness3, desolation4
11 letters
destruction3, consumption3, expenditure4, devastation4, dissipation4, squandering3
12 letters
unproductive4, extravagance4, uncultivated, wastefulness3

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (ruin2 = 2 syllables).

In other languages

Français
gaspiller
Italiano
scialacquare
Español
desperdiciar
Deutsch
verschwenden
Català
balafiar