misspent

verb

past tense of misspend
as in spent
to use up carelessly warned that a childhood spent hanging around indoors was a misspent youth indeed

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for misspent
  1. spent
  2. lost
  3. wasted
Verb
  • The professional explorers spent a year living inside the Boundary Waters, using their platform to speak loudly for its protection.
    — Erin Hassanzadeh, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Chief among them was the United Kingdom, which soon began to attract a number of big-budget movies thanks to a hugely popular 25% cash rebate on production expenses, including money spent on actors’ salaries and other above-the-line costs.
    — Stacy Perman, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of spent
Verb
  • Conversely, someone with a BMI in the normal range could have lost considerable muscle while retaining excess body fat.
    — Faye Chiu, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Tens of thousands of children across the two states have lost food assistance.
    — Cuyler Dunn, Kansas City Star, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of lost
Verb
  • Not only was $25,000 of taxpayer money wasted, but the public is still in the dark and still losing money.
    — Krista Kafer, Denver Post, 21 Aug. 2026
  • An enormous amount of safe food gets taken off shelves and is wasted under the current system, costing big retailers hundreds of millions — and in some extraordinary cases, billions — of dollars each year, according to Yiannas.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of wasted
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

misspends
misspent
misspoke
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Cite this Entry

“Misspent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misspent. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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