squandered

USAGE SUMMARY

"squandered" is correct and can be used in written English.
You can use it to refer to someone wasting money, time, or other resources. Example sentence: She squandered her inheritance on expensive vacations.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Sport

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Despite their frequent failure to impose themselves, Rangers contrived and, inexplicably, squandered opportunities to extend their advantage by a convincing margin.

The Guardian - Sport

Mario Mandzukic pulled a goal back in the 29th minute, following up a Tiago effort to head home, before Atlético squandered a chance for a second on the stroke of halftime.

The Guardian - Sport

Lumb eventually went for 36, when he was stumped by India's captain, MS Dhoni, and, despite the late blows from Buttler and Moeen, the start that the openers had provided was again squandered because of England's inability to score against the spinners.

The Guardian - Sport

The opportunity for Mumbai's redemption was obscenely squandered.

The Guardian

Smith once squandered £4m on Sebastián Rozental but gave an unknown Rino Gattuso his first big chance.

The Guardian - Sport

Unlike their first match this season in which Juventus squandered a two-goal lead against Fiorentina to lose 4-2 – their only league defeat this campaign – the Bianconeri held on to record their 14th home league victory.

The Guardian - Sport

The benefits of these policies are mainly accrued by the family members and cronies of [party] leaders – billions are squandered every year".

The Guardian - Opinion

They awoke to the grinding realisation that they had squandered any last faint hope they had of doing so, however, a 1 1 draw serving only to keep them 10 points behind the leaders with six games remaining.

The Guardian - Sport

This upside-down view of deficits as the cause rather than the consequence of economic weakness leaves all European attention squandered on shaving fractions of percentage points off the Italian and the French deficits.

The Guardian - Opinion

When he responded to Scotland's vote to remain in the UK by launching a fresh drive for English powers, the prime minister squandered an opportunity to bring the nations of Britain closer together by taking an action which is now driving them further apart.

The Guardian - Opinion

Millwall, also on seven points and in third place, looked to have squandered their chance when Shaun Williams missed an 85th-minute penalty after Chris Maguire put the Owls ahead with a free-kick early in the second half.

The Guardian - Sport

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "squandered", ensure you clearly identify what was wasted (e.g., time, money, opportunity) and, if relevant, the negative consequences of that waste.

Common error

Avoid using "squandered" in situations where the waste is minimal or insignificant. The term implies a significant loss or mismanagement of resources.

Linguistic Context

The primary grammatical function of "squandered" is as the past tense and past participle of the verb 'squander'. As a verb, it indicates the action of wasting something, typically resources such as money, time, or opportunities. Ludwig provides numerous examples of its usage in this context.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

40%

Formal & Business

25%

Sport

10%

Less common in

Science

8%

Encyclopedias

7%

Wiki

5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "squandered" is a versatile verb used to express the wasteful or careless use of resources. Ludwig AI confirms its correctness and common usage across various contexts. It is frequently found in news and media, formal business settings, and sports reporting. While semantically similar to words like "wasted" and "dissipated", "squandered" carries a stronger connotation of irresponsibility or regret. Avoid using it for minor instances of waste; reserve it for situations involving significant loss or mismanagement. With a strong source quality score and a high expert rating, "squandered" remains a reliable and effective word for expressing disapproval of wasted resources.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

wasted

Implies using something carelessly without achieving a valuable result; slightly more general than "squandered".

frittered away

Means wasting time, money or resources on petty things.

dissipated

Suggests scattering or vanishing resources, often referring to abstract things like energy or opportunities; more formal.

misspent

Implies that something has been spent in an inappropriate or wrong way.

burned through

Describes using up a resource quickly, often money or time; more informal.

mismanaged

Implies poor handling or administration of resources, leading to waste.

lost

Describes failure to keep or maintain possession of something, especially in the context of opportunities.

consumed

Indicates using something up completely, sometimes in a wasteful manner.

carelessly used

Describes a resource not handled with enough thought or attention. It is more emphatic than the word "used" alone, but less intense than "squandered".

poorly invested

Indicates resources have been invested in activities that do not yield a good result. It is specific to investments.

FAQs

How to use "squandered" in a sentence?

Use "squandered" to describe the act of wasting something valuable, like time, money, or opportunities. For example, "The company "squandered" its profits on unnecessary expenses".

What can I say instead of "squandered"?

You can use alternatives like "wasted", "dissipated", or "frittered away" depending on the specific context.

Is it correct to say someone "squandered" an opportunity?

Yes, it's perfectly correct. "Squandered" is often used to describe the wasteful loss of an opportunity. For example, "He "squandered" a golden opportunity to advance his career".

What's the difference between "squandered" and "lost"?

"Squandered" implies wasteful or foolish spending or use, whereas "lost" simply means failing to keep or maintain something. You "squander" resources; you can lose anything, including objects or your way.