wastrel

/ˈweɪstrəl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈweɪstrəl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈwā-strəl How to pronounce wastrel (audio) also ˈwä-/ (ame, mw)

wastrel — noun

  • wastrelsingular
  • wastrelsplural

1. someone who chooses not to use their talents, education, or chances in life, and

1.名詞C2
釋義

someone who chooses not to use their talents, education, or chances in life, and instead spends their time doing nothing useful or productive

例句

Ritu dropped out of two universities; her family called her a wastrel who would never amount to anything.

countable noun describing a person

The old man saw his nephew as a lazy wastrel, sleeping all day and refusing to work.

同義詞
  • idler

    less intense — simply someone who avoids work, without the judgment of wasted potential

  • good-for-nothing

    more informal and emotional; carries stronger disapproval

  • layabout

    informal British term for someone habitually lazy

反義詞

文法句型

a wastrel

用法筆記

This sense is often used as a harsh judgment or criticism of someone's lifestyle. It appears more in literary or formal contexts than in everyday conversation.

常見錯誤

❌He is a wastrel of time.
✅He is a wastrel.
💡'wastrel' does not take a prepositional complement; it stands alone as a label for the person.
❌She wasted her life, so she is a wastrel person.
✅She wasted her life, so she is a wastrel.
💡Do not add 'person' after 'wastrel'; the word already means 'a person who wastes.'

2. someone who spends money carelessly on things they do not need, often wasting wh

2.名詞C2
釋義

someone who spends money carelessly on things they do not need, often wasting what they have earned or inherited until there is nothing left

例句

Joon burned through his inheritance in a year, buying cars and throwing parties like a wastrel.

burned through [money] + like a wastrel

Sari called her brother a wastrel after he spent his whole salary at a luxury hotel.

同義詞
  • spendthrift

    close in meaning but milder; a spendthrift spends too much, while a wastrel is more blameworthy

  • profligate

    more formal, suggests reckless and immoral spending

  • squanderer

    focuses on the act of wasting rather than the person's character

反義詞
  • miser

    someone who hoards money and spends far too little

  • saver

    someone who keeps money carefully

文法句型

a wastrel

用法筆記

This sense overlaps partly with 'spendthrift' but carries a stronger note of moral judgment — the wastrel is not just careless but foolishly self-indulgent. It is frequently used in financial or family contexts about inherited wealth.

常見錯誤

❌He wastrel his money away.
✅He was a wastrel and wasted his money away.
💡'wastrel' is a noun, not a verb. Do not use it as a verb.
❌My friend is a wastrel with money.
✅My friend is a wastrel.
💡No preposition needed; 'wastrel' already implies wasteful spending.