Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

wasteful

/ˈweɪstfəl/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.27 in modern English

Syllables: waste-ful
IPA: /ˈweɪstfəl/

14

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

2

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Inclined to waste or squander money or resources.

adj

Uninhabited, desolate.

Obsolete

Example Sentences

"As a narrative, competition of the type seen between the London Midland & Scottish Railway (LMS) and the London & North Eastern Railway (LNER) was seen as wasteful, with duplicate routes reflecting an unnecessary use of resources."
"Shortly vnto the vvaſtefull vvoods ſhe came, / VVhereas ſhe found the Goddeſſe vvith her crevv, […]"

Etymology

From Middle English wastful; equivalent to waste + -ful.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: wastful
Suffix: waste

Usage

Obsolete

Inflected Forms

more wasteful (comparative) most wasteful (superlative)

Derived Forms

nonwasteful wastefully wastefulness

Synonyms

prodigal profligate extravagant improvident imprudent lavish loose-handed reckless spendthrift squandering uneconomical unthrifty

Antonyms

unwasteful

Rhymes With

tasteful distasteful

Questions

How do you pronounce wasteful?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈweɪstfəl/.
What does wasteful mean?: Inclined to waste or squander money or resources.
Where does wasteful come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce wasteful

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “wasteful”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈweɪstfəl/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “wasteful”.
Repeat and practice — Say “wasteful” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.