Wasteful meaning in English
Learn how to use Wasteful correctly with Gymglish.
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Definition
wasteful (spending): extravagant, needless, uneconomical (spending)
(a) wasteful (person): (someone who) spends too much money or is frivolous
to waste: to squander, to use up, to misuse, to not save, to needlessly use, to use badly
Pronunciation examples
UK: I'm a busy woman, please don't waste my time!
US: Our spending this month has been very wasteful.
Examples
- "This is exactly the type of wasteful spending I'm talking about."
- "Not only are private plane flights expensive and wasteful, but Horatio is terrified of machines, with the exception of his juicer."
Exercise 1
Fill in the blanks below with terms used in the dialogue. Use the hints to help you.
I owe the bank 20,000 euros. "I am 20,000 euros in ".
Hint: This term describes a financial obligation towards someone or an institution.
He ordered five steaks, took one bite of one of them, and then threw everything else in the trash. I told him that he was being very .
Hint: This term describes useless, excessive consumption for no apparent reason.
My wife and I have been looking for a new place to live so we recently purchased a in Sonoma.
Hint: This term describes an apartment within a residential complex.
I owe the bank 20,000 euros. "I am 20,000 euros in ".
Hint: This term describes a financial obligation towards someone or an institution.
He ordered five steaks, took one bite of one of them, and then threw everything else in the trash. I told him that he was being very .
Hint: This term describes useless, excessive consumption for no apparent reason.
My wife and I have been looking for a new place to live so we recently purchased a in Sonoma.
Hint: This term describes an apartment within a residential complex.
Fill in the blanks below with terms used in the dialogue. Use the hints to help you.
I owe the bank 20,000 euros. "I am 20,000 euros in debt 1".
Hint: This term describes a financial obligation towards someone or an institution.
He ordered five steaks, took one bite of one of them, and then threw everything else in the trash. I told him that he was being very wasteful 2.
Hint: This term describes useless, excessive consumption for no apparent reason.
My wife and I have been looking for a new place to live so we recently purchased a condo 3 in Sonoma.
Hint: This term describes an apartment within a residential complex.
I owe the bank 20,000 euros. "I am 20,000 euros in debt 1".
Hint: This term describes a financial obligation towards someone or an institution.
He ordered five steaks, took one bite of one of them, and then threw everything else in the trash. I told him that he was being very wasteful 2.
Hint: This term describes useless, excessive consumption for no apparent reason.
My wife and I have been looking for a new place to live so we recently purchased a condo 3 in Sonoma.
Hint: This term describes an apartment within a residential complex.
1 debt: "To be in debt (to the bank)" is to "owe" money to the bank. On its own, the term indicates an obligation, often financial. For example: the bank lent me 5000 dollars to buy a car, and now I am in debt. In this conversation, Bruno warns Harold that it will be impossible for him to "stay out of debt" if he continues to spend money on expensive luxuries. Note that the "b" in "debt" is not pronounced.
2 wasteful: "Wasteful (spending)" refers to expending money without care or prudence. In this sentence, someone who has ordered a lot of food, eaten little, and disposed of the rest can be considered "wasteful". Note that the term can apply to a person, (as it does in this example), but also an action (as it does in the conversation). In the conversation between Harold and Bruno, Bruno calls Harold's recent purchase of a "condo" in Miami an example of "wasteful spending". Another example: Don't be so wasteful with that paper, we should be trying to save the trees.
3 condo: A "condo", an abbreviation for "condominium", is an apartment within a building complex. These apartments are generally owned (bought and sold), and not rented. In this conversation, Harold tells Bruno that he just bough a condo in Miami.
Exercise 2
Fill in the blanks below with terms used in the dialogue. Use the hints to help you.
I owe the bank 20,000 euros. "I am 20,000 euros in ".
Hint: This term describes something (usually money) that is "owed", or a financial obligation towards someone or an institution.
He ordered five steaks, took one bite of one of them, and then threw everything else in the trash. I told him that he was being very .
Hint: This term describes useless, excessive consumption for no apparent reason.
My wife and I have been looking for a new place to live so we recently purchased a in Sonoma.
Hint: This term describes an apartment within a residential complex.
I owe the bank 20,000 euros. "I am 20,000 euros in ".
Hint: This term describes something (usually money) that is "owed", or a financial obligation towards someone or an institution.
He ordered five steaks, took one bite of one of them, and then threw everything else in the trash. I told him that he was being very .
Hint: This term describes useless, excessive consumption for no apparent reason.
My wife and I have been looking for a new place to live so we recently purchased a in Sonoma.
Hint: This term describes an apartment within a residential complex.
Fill in the blanks below with terms used in the dialogue. Use the hints to help you.
I owe the bank 20,000 euros. "I am 20,000 euros in debt 1".
Hint: This term describes something (usually money) that is "owed", or a financial obligation towards someone or an institution.
He ordered five steaks, took one bite of one of them, and then threw everything else in the trash. I told him that he was being very wasteful 2.
Hint: This term describes useless, excessive consumption for no apparent reason.
My wife and I have been looking for a new place to live so we recently purchased a condo 3 in Sonoma.
Hint: This term describes an apartment within a residential complex.
I owe the bank 20,000 euros. "I am 20,000 euros in debt 1".
Hint: This term describes something (usually money) that is "owed", or a financial obligation towards someone or an institution.
He ordered five steaks, took one bite of one of them, and then threw everything else in the trash. I told him that he was being very wasteful 2.
Hint: This term describes useless, excessive consumption for no apparent reason.
My wife and I have been looking for a new place to live so we recently purchased a condo 3 in Sonoma.
Hint: This term describes an apartment within a residential complex.
1 debt: "To be in debt (to the bank)" is to "owe" money to the bank. On its own, the term indicates an obligation, often financial. For example: the bank lent me 5000 dollars to buy a car, and now I am in debt. In this conversation, Bruno warns Harold that it will be impossible for him to "stay out of debt" if he continues to spend money on expensive luxuries. Note that the "b" in "debt" is not pronounced.
2 wasteful: "Wasteful (spending)" refers to expending money without care or prudence. In this sentence, someone who has ordered a lot of food, eaten little, and disposed of the rest can be considered "wasteful". Note that the term can apply to a person, (as it does in this example), but also an action (as it does in the conversation). In the conversation between Harold and Bruno, Bruno calls Harold's recent purchase of a "condo" in Miami an example of "wasteful spending". Another example: Don't be so wasteful with that paper, we should be trying to save the trees.
3 condo: A "condo", an abbreviation for "condominium", is an apartment within a building complex. These apartments are generally owned (bought and sold), and not rented. In this conversation, Harold tells Bruno that he just bought a condo in Miami.
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