wasteful

adjective

waste·​ful ˈwāst-fəl How to pronounce wasteful (audio)
: given to or marked by waste : lavish, prodigal
wastefully adverb
wastefulness noun

Examples of wasteful in a Sentence

a wasteful use of natural resources a careless and wasteful person We must eliminate wasteful expenditures.
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.
Elon Musk calls Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ wasteful Elon Musk criticized President Donald Trump’s sprawling One Big Beautiful BIll as wasteful in a new interview amid signs the epic bromance between the man in the White House and the world’s richest man is fading. Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2025 Emerging narrative or worldview: Much of this Federal funding is wasteful and supports faculty and research with biases inimical to the values of many citizens. Rick Miller, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025 China’s top-down innovation model, heavily reliant on government subsidies and investment, has proved to be both inefficient and wasteful. Li Yuan, New York Times, 13 May 2025 Groups called on the Trump administration to curb wasteful use of Colorado River water. Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for wasteful

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of wasteful was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Wasteful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wasteful. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

wasteful

adjective
waste·​ful ˈwāst-fəl How to pronounce wasteful (audio)
: given to or marked by waste : prodigal
a wasteful use of our natural resources
wastefully adverb
wastefulness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on wasteful

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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