Meaning & use
squandered
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“squandered” is a form of “squander”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
verbtransitive
Past tense and past participle of squander: wasted something valuable, such as money, time or a chance, in a careless way.
Grammar: Takes an object: she squandered the money.
Patterns
- squander something on something
- squander an opportunity
He squandered his inheritance on fast cars and parties.
The team squandered several easy chances to score.
We squandered the whole weekend watching television.
Common combinations
- squandered opportunity
- The meeting felt like a squandered opportunity.
- squandered a fortune
- He squandered a fortune in two years.
- squandered resources
- Critics said the project squandered public resources.
- squandered a lead
- The runner squandered a lead that had looked safe.
Synonyms and how they differ
- wasted
- Wasted is more general and need not imply carelessness, whereas squandered stresses reckless loss of something valuable.
- frittered away
- Frittered away suggests losing something in many small, unthinking pieces rather than all at once.
- blew
- Blew is informal and often used for money or a chance, while squandered sounds more formal and serious.
Opposites
Word family
- squander verb
- to waste something valuable carelessly
- squanderer noun
- a person who wastes things
- squandering noun
- the act of wasting carelessly
Commonly confused: squandered or wandered?
squandered vs wandered
Wandered means walked without a goal; it sounds similar but has no link to wasting.
Practice
She ___ her savings on things she never used.
Choose one answer.
Squandered means wasted carelessly, which fits spending on unused things. Conserved and invested suggest careful use.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “squandered”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.