squander
Throw away foolishly
To squander is to waste something valuable through carelessness or poor judgment—typically money, time, or opportunity.
The word carries moral weight, suggesting the loss was preventable: He squandered his inheritance on gambling.
You can squander resources, talent, goodwill, or a lead in a game.
The noun squander exists but is rare.
Wasting gradually, carelessly
- misspendUse wastefully or unwisely
- misuseImproper application
- blowMove air forcefully
- dissipateGradually fade away
deplete · exhaust · drain · consume · splurge · lavish · throw away · burn through
Lacking careful forethought
- irresponsibleLacking sense of duty
- carelessInattentive, prone to mistakes
- thoughtlessShowing no consideration
- heedlessCareless of consequences
rash · foolhardy · unwise · negligent · profligate · spendthrift · prodigal · improvident
Fail to reach
- wasteUnwanted discarded material
- neglectFailure to provide care
- overlookMiss or commanding view
- let slipReveal unintentionally
pass up · lose · bungle · botch · mishandle · fumble · blow · throw away
Excessive richness or abundance
- extravaganceExcessive, wasteful spending
- indulgenceYielding to desire
- profligacyReckless, wasteful extravagance
- opulenceShowy, abundant prosperity
luxury · decadence · ostentation · splurge · frivolity · hedonism · wastefulness · overindulgence
Lose through violation
- sacrificeGiving up something precious
- erosionGradual wearing away
- depletionReduction of supply
- diminutionReduction in size
impoverishment · deficit · shortfall · bankruptcy · insolvency · ruination · depreciation · collapse
frittering
Wasting gradually, carelessly
dissipate · deplete · exhaust · drain · consume · splurge · lavish · throw away · burn through · run through
imprudent
Lacking careful forethought
- irresponsibleLacking sense of duty
- carelessInattentive, prone to mistakes
- thoughtlessShowing no consideration
heedless · rash · foolhardy · unwise · negligent · profligate · spendthrift · prodigal · improvident · shortsighted
miss
Fail to reach
let slip · pass up · lose · bungle · botch · mishandle · fumble · blow · throw away · let go
lavishness
Excessive richness or abundance
- extravaganceExcessive, wasteful spending
- indulgenceYielding to desire
- profligacyReckless, wasteful extravagance
opulence · luxury · decadence · ostentation · splurge · frivolity · hedonism · wastefulness · overindulgence · immoderation
forfeit
Lose through violation
diminution · impoverishment · deficit · shortfall · bankruptcy · insolvency · ruination · depreciation · collapse · destruction
- overexploitationoverfishing, overfish, overhunting, overharvest, overgrazing
- excessexcess, too much, excessive, excessiveness, overabundance
- excess behaviorsovereat, binge, overindulge, overspend, overuse
- wastagewaste, losses, shrinkage, spillage, spoilage
- inefficiencyinefficient, wasteful, unproductive, ineffective, suboptimal
- waste wordsspoil, rot, decay, trash, discard
squandersave
Protect from loss
conserve · preserve · hoard · economize · accumulate
squanderinvest
Commit resources for gain
make the most of · put to good use · leverage · maximize · optimize
- inheritance squanderedInherited wealth wasted
squandered, squandering, squanders, squanderer, squanderings, squanderers