waste
waste Lexical Profile
waste Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The act of using or expending something carelessly, extravagantly, or to no purpose.
"Leaving the lights on all night is a terrible waste of electricity."
Material that is not wanted or the unusable remains and byproducts of a process.
"The factory was heavily fined for dumping toxic waste into the river."
A large area of barren, uninhabited land.
"They wandered for days across the frozen wastes of the Arctic."
• verb
To use or expend carelessly, extravagantly, or to no purpose.
"She regretted that she had wasted so much time scrolling through social media."
To fail to make full or good use of something.
"We cannot afford to waste this unique opportunity to launch our product."
To become progressively weaker, thinner, and more emaciated.
"Without adequate nutrition during the famine, his body began to waste rapidly."
Word Nuance & Usage
When used as a medical or physiological verb, 'waste' (often followed by 'away') specifically describes the severe, gradual loss of muscle mass or vitality.
• Rhymes for waste
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old Northern French 'waster' (to waste, devastate), from Latin 'vastare' (to lay waste), derived from 'vastus' (empty, desolate).
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.