Thesaurus.com
Dictionary.com

be wasteful

VERB
lavish
Synonyms
STRONGEST
expend fritter heap squander
STRONG
deluge dissipate give pour scatter spend waste
WEAK
be generous go through run through spend money like water thrust upon
Antonyms
STRONGEST
hold save
STRONG
collect gather hoard
WEAK
economize limit starve
VERB
squander
Synonyms
STRONGEST
blow expend lavish misuse waste
STRONG
consume dissipate frivol misspend scatter spend trifle
WEAK
be prodigal with cash out frivol away go through prodigalize put out run through spend like water spring for throw away throw money around
Antonyms
STRONGEST
hoard save
STRONG
accumulate collect gather
WEAK
set aside
VERB
throw away
Synonyms
WEAK
blow consume dissipate fail to exploit fritter lose refuse reject squander trifle turn down
Antonyms
WEAK
hoard hold keep save

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 cloud is ideal for that. It would be wasteful to buy that computer and let it stay idle for 99.99% of the time.”

From BBC • Jun. 27, 2024

I mean, I’m pretty sure that we can all agree that we just don’t need to be wasteful and excessive.”

From Washington Post • Sep. 3, 2022

Image: iFixit Whole unit replacements can be wasteful on the supply-chain front, though, and data transfers to a new device are always cumbersome — especially for those not paying for Apple’s iCloud backup subscription.

From The Verge • Apr. 6, 2022

Although you don’t want to be wasteful and get rid of items you may be able to use, consider whether something is really worth keeping, especially if space is at a premium.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 27, 2021

She could not throw it away; that would be wasteful.

From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata