wasted
Americanadjective
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done to no avail; useless.
wasted efforts.
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physically or psychologically exhausted; debilitated.
to be wasted by a long illness.
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Slang. overcome by the influence of alcohol or drugs.
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Archaic. (of time) gone by.
adjective
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not exploited or taken advantage of
a wasted opportunity
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useless or unprofitable
wasted effort
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physically enfeebled and emaciated
a thin wasted figure
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slang showing signs of habitual drug abuse
Other Word Forms
- unwasted adjective
- wastedness noun
Etymology
Origin of wasted
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; waste, -ed 2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Mr. Astley-Sparke says the perfunctory second review wasted company time and resources.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026
It creates multiple pathways for energy to move through the system, reduces wasted power, and lessens the strain on the resonator.
From Science Daily • Apr. 10, 2026
And as a result, some promising scoring chances were wasted.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 2026
"All the money the council has wasted over the last seven years and the £300,000 they are now committing to spending is part of a vanity project," O'Donovan said.
From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026
Then Masvita wasted away until she was barely recognizable.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
