squander
SKWON-der
/ˈskwɒndə/
To waste something precious or limited in a reckless and foolish manner.
Carries a strong moral rebuke; implies foolishness, laziness, or reckless carelessness.
The story behind the word. Appearing in Shakespeare's time in the late 1500s, 'squander' likely derived from regional terms meaning to splash water haphazardly or scatter troops randomly across a field. By the 1700s, it solidified into its modern meaning: scattering one's money or natural wealth to the wind until nothing remains.
Word relationships
- fritter away: Fritter away implies wasting bit by bit, whereas squander can describe losing massive quantities at once.
- waste: Waste is the general term, whereas squander adds a vivid layer of foolish or reckless behavior.
- husband: Husband (as a verb) means to manage and conserve resources carefully.
- save: Save means to keep or store away for future use.
Commonly confused with
- squander vs wander: Wander means to walk aimlessly, whereas squander means to waste foolishly.
Word family
- squanderer (noun): A person who wastes money or resources recklessly.
Collocations
- squander wealth
- squander an opportunity
- squander natural resources
- foolishly squander
Example sentences
- "We must not squander our remaining freshwater reserves on short-term industrial expansion." Editorial writing
Memory hook
SQUANDER sounds like SQUIRT-WANDER: squirting water while wandering around wasting it. Squander = Throwing treasure to the wind.
When not to use
Do not use for thoughtful spending that simply turned out badly; squander requires carelessness.
Fun facts
- Shakespeare used 'squander' in The Merchant of Venice (1596) to describe ships exposed to danger on the ocean.
Related words
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