wastrel

wastrel
/way"streuhl/, n.
1. a wasteful person; spendthrift.
2. Chiefly Brit.
a. refuse; waste.
b. a waif; abandoned child.
c. an idler or good-for-nothing.
[1580-90; WASTE + -REL]

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Wastrel — Wast rel, n. 1. Any waste thing or substance; as: (a) Waste land or common land. [Obs.] Carew. (b) A profligate. [Prov. Eng.] (c) A neglected child; a street Arab. [Eng.] [1913 Webster] 2. Anything cast away as bad or useless, as imperfect bricks …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • wastrel — index degenerate, derelict Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • wastrel — spendthrift, idler, 1847, from WASTE (Cf. waste) (v.) + pejorative suffix REL (Cf. rel) …   Etymology dictionary

  • wastrel — *spendthrift, profligate, prodigal, waster Analogous words: reprobate, *outcast: loafer, idler, lounger (see corresponding verbs at IDLE): scoundrel, rascal, rogue, scamp (see VILLAIN) …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • wastrel — ► NOUN literary ▪ a wasteful or worthless person. ORIGIN originally denoting a strip of waste land …   English terms dictionary

  • wastrel — [wās′trəl] n. [dim. of WASTER] 1. a person who wastes; esp., a spendthrift 2. GOOD FOR NOTHING …   English World dictionary

  • wastrel — [[t]we͟ɪstrəl[/t]] wastrels N COUNT If you describe someone as a wastrel you mean that they are lazy and spend their time and money on foolish things. [LITERARY] Her father wouldn t let her marry a wastrel …   English dictionary

  • wastrel — UK [ˈweɪstrəl] / US noun [countable] Word forms wastrel : singular wastrel plural wastrels literary a lazy person who wastes time or money …   English dictionary

  • wastrel — noun One who is profligate, who wastes time or resources extravagantly. Marys mother if that was her picture may have been a wastrel in her spare time (she had thirteen children by a minister of the church), but if so her gay and dissipated life… …   Wiktionary

  • wastrel — noun Etymology: irregular from 2waste Date: circa 1841 1. vagabond, waif 2. one who expends resources foolishly and self indulgently ; profligate …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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