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Glite Dictionary
to waste away

to waste away

7 5.5
To become weak and thin because of sickness or not eating enough
  • phrasal verb
  • /weɪst əˈweɪ/
translation icon : desgastarse
  • All that chemo, all that radiation they gave him made him just waste away like he was a skeleton.
  • watch him waste away
  • just waste away
  • waste away and die

And in those rats he found ulcers, their thyroid gland wasted away.

Examples

  • If he doesn't eat, he'll waste away like his father did.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Without proper nutrition, she started to waste away and lost her strength quickly.

  • So, why does the human continue to waste away?

    Venom (2018)

  • His body continued to waste away.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Not long after she moved to her new house, Miss Jane began to waste away.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • The poor girl was wasting away, unable to do much because of the pain.

    Blog text (30)

  • Your grandfather wasted away after your mom died.

    Left in Darkness (2006)

  • She wasted away in front of his eyes.

    Mission to Mars (2000)

  • Ruth had feared that Naomi would waste away in grief.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • The earth mourns and dries up, and the crops waste away and wither.

    Blog text (32)

Synonyms

to waste
vsto waste away
143 5.1

To become thin and weak because of illness or a lack of food

is the phrasal form stressing gradual loss of bodily strength
to wither
vsto waste away
91 4.4

To become dry and weak, as with plants or feelings

is about becoming thin and weak from illness or poor nourishment
to wane
vsto waste away
48 6.4

To become less in size, amount, or strength

applies specifically to gradual bodily thinning and loss of strength from illness
to languish
vsto waste away
32 7.2

To become weak and lose energy because of neglect or sadness

focuses on gradual physical thinning from illness or lack of nourishment
to rot away
vsto waste away
16 4.2

To slowly become weaker or fall apart because it is not cared for

describes bodily thinning and weakness rather than physical decay of matter

Antonyms

to thrive
241 3.2

To grow well and be successful

to flourish
116 4.1

To grow strongly and be healthy or successful

How Thin

to emaciate
3 8.9
to wither
91 4.4
to waste away
7 5.5
to slim down
5 3.0
to lose fat
4 3.0

Surface Forms

waste away infinitive
wasted away past
wasted away past participle
wasting away present participle
wastes away third person singular

Morphology

waste + away

The verb 'waste' (to become thin or weakened) combined with the particle 'away' (indicating disappearance or gradual removal) yields the sense of gradually losing strength or flesh; the meaning is directly derivable from the constituents. This verb + particle compositional pattern is common in English and cross-linguistically paralleled, so a B1 learner who knows both words will likely infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Waste away comes from a simple image: something is slowly used up, waste, and goes away, like a plant left without water or a person losing weight while ill. That's why it means 'to become weak and thin' over time.