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

“Let’s get rid of this wastrel. He’s not worth the effort.”

From Literature

In one story, a hollow-eyed masseuse mourns the abrupt, outwardly random death of her son and the loss of her business to the pandemic as her wastrel husband dreams and schemes.

From New York Times

He described his father as a drunk wastrel who chased women, squandered a fortune and sold off family treasures to pay for the minimum of essential renovations.

From Seattle Times

Writer-director David Lowery and star Dev Patel present a young man attempting to find his way, fearful that he has nothing to offer the world: Gawain, wastrel nephew of King Arthur and not yet a knight, impulsively accepts a challenge from the Green Knight and perhaps assigns himself to death.

From Los Angeles Times

Leonard’s solution is to locate the exact historical point when Victorian bled into Edwardian — or, if you like, when the old girl died and passed on her throne to her corpulent wastrel son — and to cast his story with real people engaged in real intrigues.

From Washington Post