| Library / English Dictionary |
WASTEFULNESS
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Useless or profitless activity; using or expending or consuming thoughtlessly or carelessly
Example:
mindless dissipation of natural resources
Synonyms:
dissipation; waste; wastefulness
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("wastefulness" is a kind of...):
activity (any specific behavior)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "wastefulness"):
boondoggle (work of little or no value done merely to look busy)
waste of effort; waste of energy (a useless effort)
waste of material (a useless consumption of material)
waste of money (money spent for inadequate return)
waste of time (the devotion of time to a useless activity)
extravagance; high life; highlife; lavishness; prodigality (excessive spending)
squandering (spending resources lavishly and wastefully)
Derivation:
wasteful (laying waste)
wasteful (inefficient in use of time and effort and materials)
Sense 2
Meaning:
The trait of wasting resources
Example:
the wastefulness of missed opportunities
Synonyms:
thriftlessness; waste; wastefulness
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Hypernyms ("wastefulness" is a kind of...):
improvidence; shortsightedness (a lack of prudence and care by someone in the management of resources)
Derivation:
wasteful (tending to squander and waste)
