wastrel

noun

wast·​rel ˈwā-strəl How to pronounce wastrel (audio)
also ˈwä-
Synonyms of wastrelnext
1
2
: one who expends resources foolishly and self-indulgently : profligate

Examples of wastrel in a Sentence

the black sheep of the family, he ended up being a wastrel and a drunkard
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Foster died destitute in 1864, after falling and injuring himself in the bathroom of a hotel on the Bowery, becoming perhaps the first of many famous wastrels in American popular music. David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 2 July 2026 Delery ruminates on her wastrel youth. Literary Hub, 9 Apr. 2026 He was raised on Chicago’s North Side by a wastrel father and a mother who struggled to put food on their table. Ron Grossman, Chicago Tribune, 3 Aug. 2025 Atay lingers on the outskirts, keeping the company of workers and wastrels, poets and drunks—all those who refuse the monumental transformations of Turkish society. Merve Emre, The New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2024 See All Example Sentences for wastrel

Word History

Etymology

irregular from waste entry 2

First Known Use

circa 1841, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of wastrel was circa 1841

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Cite this Entry

“Wastrel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wastrel. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.

Kids Definition

wastrel

noun
wast·​rel ˈwā-strəl How to pronounce wastrel (audio)
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