a decrease in size of an organ caused by disease or disuse
"The patient's liver showed signs of wasting after months of severe malnutrition and lack of activity."
Gradual deterioration or wasting away.
"The prolonged illness caused his body to waste away until he was barely recognizable."
In plain English: Wasting is when you lose weight too quickly because your body isn't getting enough food to stay healthy.
"The police suspect that drug use and wasting time at parties are causing his grades to drop."
present participle of waste
"The leaking pipe was wasting gallons of water every hour."
In plain English: To waste is to use time, money, or energy foolishly so that it goes unused and has no value left.
"Stop wasting time on things that do not matter to you."
Causing a waste, or wasting away; causing pronounced loss of body mass.
"The severe infection was so debilitating that it began wasting his emaciated frame down to nothing but skin and bone."
In plain English: Wasting describes something that is becoming thinner and weaker because it isn't getting enough food or care.
"The old man spent his entire life wasting away in that lonely cabin until he finally died."
Usage: Use this adjective specifically to describe conditions that cause severe physical emaciation rather than general inefficiency or time mismanagement. Avoid confusing it with the verb "wasting" when referring simply to spending resources carelessly.