frittered
Carelessly used up
Frittered is the past tense of fritter, meaning to waste something gradually on trivial matters.
The word almost always appears with "away": She frittered away the afternoon on social media, He frittered away his inheritance on bad investments.
The implication is that something valuable—time, money, opportunity—disappeared in small, careless increments rather than through one dramatic loss.
Moved slowly, idly
- idledOperated without load
- loafedWas deliberately unproductive
- dilly-dalliedPostponed through aimless delay
- procrastinatedPostponed action unnecessarily
pottered · puttered · meandered · trifled · tarried · lollygagged · killed time · whiled away
Used without good result
- dissipatedDispersed or morally loose
- squanderedCarelessly used up
- misspentUsed badly or foolishly
- depletedSeverely reduced or emptied
consumed · exhausted · lost · misused · mismanaged · blown · spent · drained
In small increments
- graduallyIn slow stages
- incrementallyBy small successive amounts
- little by littleIn small increments
- slowlyAt reduced speed
piece by piece · chipped away · parceled out · fragmented · eroded
Without paying attention
- recklesslyActing without regard for danger
- thoughtlesslyWithout care or reflection
- negligentlyWith culpable inattention
- carelesslyWithout due attention
irresponsibly · wastefully · foolishly · imprudently · unwisely · incautiously · rashly · mindlessly
dawdled
Moved slowly, idly
- idledOperated without load
- loafedWas deliberately unproductive
- dilly-dalliedPostponed through aimless delay
procrastinated · pottered · puttered · meandered · trifled · tarried · lollygagged · killed time · whiled away · drifted
wasted
Used without good result
- dissipatedDispersed or morally loose
- squanderedCarelessly used up
- misspentUsed badly or foolishly
depleted · consumed · exhausted · lost · misused · mismanaged · blown · spent · drained · used up
bit by bit
In small increments
- graduallyIn slow stages
- incrementallyBy small successive amounts
- little by littleIn small increments
slowly · piece by piece · chipped away · parceled out · fragmented · eroded
heedlessly
Without paying attention
- recklesslyActing without regard for danger
- thoughtlesslyWithout care or reflection
- negligentlyWith culpable inattention
carelessly · irresponsibly · wastefully · foolishly · imprudently · unwisely · incautiously · rashly · mindlessly · senselessly
- idlingidle, idled, loaf, loafed, laze
- ruinedruined, destroyed, wrecked, demolished, obliterated
- apple fritterFried dough with fruit
- fritter awayWaste by small degrees
- frittered awayWasted bit by bit
- frittering awayWasting in small amounts
- corn frittersFried batter with kernels
- banana frittersFried battered fruit pieces
fritter, fritters, frittering, fritter away, apple fritter, frittered away