wastrel

[ wey-struhl ]

noun

1. a wasteful person; spendthrift:

   The wastrel had squandered his inheritance, and then came to her, looking for a handout.

2. Chiefly British.
   1. refuse; waste.
   2. a waif; abandoned child.
   3. an idler or good-for-nothing.

wastrel

/ ˈweɪstrəl /

noun

1. a wasteful person; spendthrift; prodigal
2. an idler or vagabond

Word History and Origins

Origin of wastrel¹

First recorded in 1580–90; waste + -rel

Example Sentences

I pushed all that away with a preoccupied hand, not as part and parcel of my wastrel living but in my assured Artist-temper.

From Project Gutenberg

Drunkenness and an iron social system manufactured the criminal, the wastrel, the lunatic, and we dealt with the waste product.

From Project Gutenberg

He came from Stappen under Snaefell, and was known there for a wastrel.

From Project Gutenberg

Above the tiny stone-built village of Wastrel-dale the Muir Pike nods its massive head.

From Project Gutenberg

Sam'l took him up bodily and carried him down the slope to the Wastrel, shaking him gently as he went.

From Project Gutenberg