1
as in weak
lacking bodily strength
a wasted frame—a shadow of the man he once was
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in haggard
suffering extreme weight loss as a result of hunger or disease
a frail and wasted famine victim
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in ripped
slang
being under the influence of a recreational drug
the documentary portrays the comedian as someone who was often too wasted to function socially
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in drunk
slang
being under the influence of alcohol
unfortunately, his college years were largely spent getting wasted
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in spent
to use up carelessly
he wasted his lottery winnings on booze-soaked nights with gold diggers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ruined
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of
one country attempting to waste another
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in weakened
to diminish the physical strength of
endless months of inactivity wasted him
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of wasted
Pete Sampson, New York Times, 21 Jan. 2026
Because for all the roiling frustration this production evokes with its wasted potential, there are still those moments of greatness, where the soaring vocals meld with potent lyrics and the entire theater is rapt.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Nov. 2025
Advertisers still need to actively review and clean search terms to prevent wasted spend and ensure relevance.
—Mykola Lukashuk, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
This is when water from a sprinkler head sprays out onto the sidewalk or street, and that's considered wasted water.
—Yvette Fernandez, NPR, 28 Aug. 2025
Each episode is just 25 minutes long, with no wasted motion, and creator Félix Sabroso is already at work on a second season.
—PC Magazine, 11 July 2025
That means fewer unexpected shutdowns and less wasted time, as well as lower repair costs.
—Cory McNeley, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
Nonetheless, fusion research is rarely a wasted effort, Whyte says.
—IEEE Spectrum, 3 Dec. 2024
Sari Hitchins, Parents, 5 Feb. 2026
The result is wasted energy, excess heat, and diminishing returns on efficiency improvements that once accompanied each generation of smaller transistors.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 31 Jan. 2026
Parents and grandparents can contribute knowing that excess funds won’t be wasted or heavily penalized—they can be redirected toward the child’s long-term financial future.
—David Kudla, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
That suggests that the prototype will have no trouble speeding off through the desert, though some of that power may be wasted on paved roads.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 28 Jan. 2026
Marshall, like all the rest of them, was eventually let go for not knowing anything, but not before more time was wasted by detectives, who were obliged to interview most of these sideshows.
—Literary Hub, 27 Jan. 2026
Players, many of whom came from warmer states such as Virginia or Florida, were bundled up, too, and wasted little time in making their remarks.
—Michael Marot, Chicago Tribune, 25 Jan. 2026
Essentially, layers of approval, endless meetings, and hours wasted in workers’ time can be saved, when someone with actual sign-off power is in the room.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 23 Jan. 2026
Texas also wasted an electric 29 points from Dailyn Swain.
—Cedric Golden, Austin American Statesman, 23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
Every day Notre Dame sulks about last season is a wasted one.
—Pete Sampson, New York Times, 21 Jan. 2026
Because for all the roiling frustration this production evokes with its wasted potential, there are still those moments of greatness, where the soaring vocals meld with potent lyrics and the entire theater is rapt.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Nov. 2025
Advertisers still need to actively review and clean search terms to prevent wasted spend and ensure relevance.
—Mykola Lukashuk, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
This is when water from a sprinkler head sprays out onto the sidewalk or street, and that's considered wasted water.
—Yvette Fernandez, NPR, 28 Aug. 2025
Each episode is just 25 minutes long, with no wasted motion, and creator Félix Sabroso is already at work on a second season.
—PC Magazine, 11 July 2025
That means fewer unexpected shutdowns and less wasted time, as well as lower repair costs.
—Cory McNeley, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
Nonetheless, fusion research is rarely a wasted effort, Whyte says.
—IEEE Spectrum, 3 Dec. 2024
Verb
It's never wasted in the singing lesson.
—Sari Hitchins, Parents, 5 Feb. 2026
The result is wasted energy, excess heat, and diminishing returns on efficiency improvements that once accompanied each generation of smaller transistors.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 31 Jan. 2026
Parents and grandparents can contribute knowing that excess funds won’t be wasted or heavily penalized—they can be redirected toward the child’s long-term financial future.
—David Kudla, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
That suggests that the prototype will have no trouble speeding off through the desert, though some of that power may be wasted on paved roads.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 28 Jan. 2026
Marshall, like all the rest of them, was eventually let go for not knowing anything, but not before more time was wasted by detectives, who were obliged to interview most of these sideshows.
—Literary Hub, 27 Jan. 2026
Players, many of whom came from warmer states such as Virginia or Florida, were bundled up, too, and wasted little time in making their remarks.
—Michael Marot, Chicago Tribune, 25 Jan. 2026
Essentially, layers of approval, endless meetings, and hours wasted in workers’ time can be saved, when someone with actual sign-off power is in the room.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 23 Jan. 2026
Texas also wasted an electric 29 points from Dailyn Swain.
—Cedric Golden, Austin American Statesman, 23 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wasted
Adjective
-
Bangladesh’s woes have not improved much since Hasina’s ouster, with high inflation and a weak taka currency combining to erode real incomes for ordinary households.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Pinterest posted disappointing fourth-quarter results and gave weak guidance for first-quarter sales.—
Liz Napolitano,Darla Mercado, CFP®,
CNBC,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
No one’s going to want to watch a haggard perimenopausal woman who’s badly lit.—
Mikey O'Connell,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Now, the film is a downright classic, centering on three haggard witches (Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy) who go on a hilarious misadventure while trying to remain young forever.—
Keith Langston,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Also on display, in conversation with Noland’s work, are the ripped and twisted canvases of the late Steven Parrino, who died on New Year’s Day in 2005.—
Jerry Saltz,
Vulture,
4 Dec. 2025
-
The shapes appeared on a piece of paper with a ripped corner.—
Christopher Schaberg,
The Conversation,
14 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Lyman recalled a massive weekend in Long Beach with 80,000 attendees that resulted in only one arrest—a drunk fan who took Ice-T’s lyrics too literally and started shouting at the police.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
15 Feb. 2026
-
California remains a dairy powerhouse, with one in every five glass of milk drunk in this country coming from California dairy business.—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Nebraska, meanwhile, has spent the last quarter-century chasing memories.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Feb. 2026
-
The nurses in the Pitt have spent the most time with Louie over the years, and his death would hit them hard.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Certain songs could be ruined forever.—
Ana Gutierrez,
Austin American Statesman,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Romero’s red card for a foul on Casemiro in the 29th minute of Tottenham’s defeat to Manchester United on Saturday ruined Frank’s game plan.—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Bass, who was politically weakened by her performance during the fire and its aftermath, was already facing more than two dozen challengers looking to oust her in the June 2 primary — the vast majority little known to the public and not expected to pose any threat.—
David Zahniser,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
-
New York — US stocks dropped Thursday, continuing a recent patch of volatility, as Wall Street grappled with persistent nerves about artificial intelligence and economic data showed the labor market weakened over the past two months.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Lydia Romero strained to hear her husband’s feeble voice through the phone.—
Claudia Boyd-Barrett,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Jan. 2026
-
That said, international filmmaking is in feeble shape, partly because of the jambalaya of international co-productions, partly because of the inroads of television aesthetics, and partly because of the cloistered aestheticism of self-conscious art-house cinema.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wasted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wasted. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
