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waste

waste

469 1.2
Careless use of money, time, or other resources
  • noun
  • /weɪst/
translation icon : pérdida
  • Hawkins also said the purported DOJ effort represents a "massive waste of energy and resources."
  • a waste of time
  • a waste of money
  • a waste of resources

It was the most incomprehensibly, you know, stupid waste of trees ever.

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Examples

  • When your raw material cost this much, this kind of waste really hurts.

  • It's such a waste of money to buy things you don't need.

  • The next strategy to limit fashion waste is to shop and sell second hand.

  • - It's such a waste of money.

  • What activities do you feel were a waste of your high school physical education class time?

    Academic text (2015)
  • Many companies were reducing waste because they believed it was the moral thing to do.

    Academic text (1999)
  • Natural capitalism seeks not merely to reduce waste but to eliminate the very concept of waste.

    Academic text (1999)
  • It would be a tragedy to see his talent go to waste.

  • Throwing away perfectly good food is a real waste of resources.

  • He considered it a waste of time to argue about trivial matters.

Synonyms

misuse
vswaste
45 3.4

Doing something wrong with money, objects, or power

is using things carelessly or without purpose rather than simply improper use
profligacy
vswaste
  • Formal
3 9.8

A very wasteful use of money or things that shows little care about cost

is careless use or inefficiency without the strong extravagance element
wastage
vswaste
  • UK
2 5.2

Loss of materials or food that could have been used

is the ongoing act or habit of careless use rather than just the result
wastefulness
vswaste
1 4.6

Using money or things carelessly in a way that causes extra loss

is the general act of careless or inefficient use without extravagance focus
squandering
vswaste
1 7.2

Using valuable things like time or money in a wasteful way

is careless or inefficient use that is not necessarily lavish spending
dissipation
vswaste
1 7.7

Careless use of resources like time or money

is the broader habit of careless or inefficient use, not only consumption
1 3.2

Using or throwing away materials so usable parts are lost

is careless or purposeless use across items, not only material cases
thriftlessness
vswaste
9.9

A habit of spending money and not saving for the future

is carelessness in use generally, not limited to money
9.2

A habit of wasting money by buying things you do not need

is general careless or inefficient use beyond just spending money
wasteness
vswaste
  • Archaic
9.3

An empty, unused area often left after damage or neglect

is the habit of careless or inefficient use, not the sense of emptiness

Antonyms

117 3.5

Protecting and carefully managing nature and natural resources

27 4.3

Using something for a purpose

Idioms

14 8.8

An action that causes great damage to places and people

A situation that needs action right away

Use things carefully so you do not run out later

So good that it should not be thrown away

Compounds

126 2.7

An activity that takes time but does not help you

36 3.5

Poisonous materials people throw away that can harm health or nature

An amount of money spent without getting a useful result

radioactive waste
  • Specialized
12 5.0

Unwanted material from nuclear power that gives off radiation

8 2.7

Uneaten or leftover food that people throw away from homes and shops

A thing made and thrown away by a factory, machine, or body

6 3.5

Dirty substances that people get rid of from their bodies, like urine and feces

A place where people leave dangerous chemicals, often illegally

An activity that uses your time but does not help you

An action that uses effort but achieves nothing useful

toxic waste site
  • Specialized
2 4.4

A place where dangerous chemical waste is stored or dumped

Things like old or broken items that are thrown away

2 1.3

A container with an open top for small trash like paper

waste of skin
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person seen as having no value or use

An action that uses time and energy but gives no useful result

1 1.1

Paper that people throw away after use

1 4.2

A way to stop making trash by reusing, recycling and using fewer things

1 6.5

Radioactive material from medical tests and hospital procedures that has low radiation and needs safe handling

1 7.8

Highly radioactive material left after nuclear fuel is used that needs safe storage for a long time

body waste
  • NSFW
1 2.7

Things the body gets rid of, like urine, sweat, and feces

A thing like time or money that is completely useless and gives no benefit

1 4.7

Poisonous waste from factories that can harm people and nature

Using or throwing away materials so usable parts are lost

9.9

A property loses value when a tenant fails to take care of it

9.9

A rude phrase for something completely pointless and not worth your time

toxic waste area
  • Specialized
4.6

A place where people dump poisonous materials that must be cleaned because they can harm people or nature

Things people throw away because they are not useful

waste baler
  • Specialized
5.6

A machine that presses waste like cardboard or plastic into tight bundles for easier handling

3.0

A pipe that carries away dirty water from a sink or bath

7.2

A large shallow pond that treats sewage using sunlight and bacteria and algae

A small open container for throwing away paper and other small rubbish

An area of land where people put rubbish

How Wasteful

squandering
1 7.2
waste
469 1.2
carelessness
16 2.8
frugality
8 5.8

Surface Forms

waste singular
wastes plural

Etymology

Waste comes from an old English word wāst meaning 'loss' or 'destruction', and that sense of losing or ruining things explains why waste can mean the careless use or loss of time, money, or resources, as in being 'wasteful'.