# wasteful

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈweɪstfəl/ · frequency rank #20,542

## Definitions
1. Inclined to waste or squander money or resources.
2. Uninhabited, desolate.

## Etymology
From Middle English wastful; equivalent to waste + -ful.

## Easily confused with
- **wistful** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wasteful-vs-wistful)

## Common misspellings (12)
`awsteful`, `wasetful`, `wassteful`, `wastefful`, `wasteflu`, `wastefull`, `wasteufl`, `wastfeul`, `wastteful`, `watseful`, `wsateful`, `wwasteful`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/wasteful