waste of time
Fruitless use of hours
A waste of time is an activity that accomplishes nothing worthwhile relative to the time invested: That meeting was a complete waste of time.
The phrase often expresses frustration or dismissal—calling something a waste of time judges it as pointless or unproductive.
What counts as a waste of time depends entirely on what the speaker values.
Lacking any purpose
- uselessWithout practical value
- fruitlessProducing no useful outcome
- futileIncapable of producing results
- unproductiveFailing to achieve results
meaningless · worthless · ineffective · vain · trivial · empty · insignificant · inconsequential
Used badly or foolishly
- squanderedCarelessly used up
- hindsightRecognition after the fact
- could havePast possibility expression
- should havePast obligation unfulfilled
opportunity cost · years lost · too late · looking back · what if · rueful · lament
Habitual task avoidance
- dawdlingLeisurely time-wasting
- dilly-dallyingWasting time indecisively
- loiteringPurposeless public lingering
- meanderingFollowing a winding course
stalling · lagging · foot-dragging · puttering · faffing · lollygagging · tarrying · dithering
Wearisome dullness
- monotonyTiresome lack of change
- dullnessLack of stimulation
- drudgeryHard, boring work
- ennuiWeary, listless dissatisfaction
listlessness · mind-numbing · soul-crushing · unstimulating · thankless · dreary · tiresome · wearisome
pointless
Lacking any purpose
- uselessWithout practical value
- fruitlessProducing no useful outcome
- futileIncapable of producing results
unproductive · meaningless · worthless · ineffective · vain · trivial · empty · insignificant · inconsequential · negligible
misspent
Used badly or foolishly
- squanderedCarelessly used up
- hindsightRecognition after the fact
- could havePast possibility expression
should have · opportunity cost · years lost · too late · looking back · what if · rueful · lament
procrastination
Habitual task avoidance
- dawdlingLeisurely time-wasting
- dilly-dallyingWasting time indecisively
- loiteringPurposeless public lingering
meandering · stalling · lagging · foot-dragging · puttering · faffing · lollygagging · tarrying · dithering · frittering
tedium
Wearisome dullness
ennui · listlessness · mind-numbing · soul-crushing · unstimulating · thankless · dreary · tiresome · wearisome · humdrum
- Futile Effortslost causes, wild goose chase, fool's errand, dead end, Sisyphean task
- futilityfutile, futility, in vain, pointlessness, vain
- giving upgive up, giving up, quit, quitting, surrender
- worthless thingsnot worth a dime, not worth a hill of beans, dime a dozen, two-bit, good for nothing
- sarcastic phraseswhatever, who cares, yeah right, so what, why bother
- losersloser, failure, runner-up, flop, beaten
waste of timeproductive
Generating useful output
worthwhile · valuable · fruitful · beneficial · rewarding
time, waste, wasted, wasteful, wasting, wastes, wasteland, wastebasket, wastefully