21 December 2025
How do you express the concept of Waste in German?
It’s what happens when money, time, or food disappears without purpose. In German, that’s die Verschwendung. This is your German word of the day, and it’s the perfect word to describe excess, loss, and things that really shouldn’t have happened.
The noun Verschwendung means waste, squandering, or profligacy, and it’s one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German. You’ll see it in environmental debates, household complaints, and sharp criticisms - formal or personal.
It’s a feminine noun, so we say die Verschwendung (want to learn gender once and for all? Our straight-to-the-point video lesson will help you master it: Watch the 5-minute video lesson on German noun genders).
Pronunciation
Verschwendung is pronounced approximately [fer-SHVEN-dung], with short e and short u.
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Ver- is unstressed, approximately [fɛɐ̯] (a short e followed by a reduced r sound),
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schwen like “shven,”
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dung has a short u as in “put” and ng as in “sing,”
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Stress is on the second syllable: ver-SCHWEN-dung
It has a slightly weighty sound - fitting for a word about loss and regret.
Example sentences:
Das ist pure Verschwendung!That’s pure waste!
Die Verschwendung von Lebensmitteln ist ein großes Problem.The wasting of food is a major problem.
Nuance and usage tips
Verschwendung applies to both literal and abstract kinds of waste:
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Resources - money, food, energy
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Geldverschwendung - waste of money
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Energieverschwendung - energy waste
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Time -
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Zeitverschwendung - waste of time
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eine sinnlose Verschwendung von Stunden - a pointless waste of hours
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Talent or opportunity
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Talente dürfen nicht verschwendet werden.Talents shouldn’t be wasted.
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It’s often paired with vermeiden (to avoid), stoppen (to stop), or kritisiert werden (to be criticized).
How does this word come up in real conversations?
In everyday speech, Germans often call something a Verschwendung when they feel time, money, or effort wasn’t worth it:
“Diese App war die reinste Verschwendung.” - This app was a complete waste.“Ich hasse Lebensmittelverschwendung.” - I hate food waste.
It’s also used in moral or environmental contexts - think overconsumption, poor planning, or unnecessary extravagance.
Sample Dialogue (Beginner Level)
Tobias: Willst du das wirklich wegwerfen?Sina: Ja, es ist alt.Tobias: Aber es funktioniert noch!Sina: Na gut. Du hast recht. Das wäre Verschwendung.
Tobias: Do you really want to throw that away?Sina: Yeah, it’s old.Tobias: But it still works!Sina: Fine. You’re right. That would be wasteful.
Grammatical case examples:
Nominative:Die Verschwendung ist erschreckend.The waste is shocking.
Accusative:Ich kann diese Verschwendung nicht ertragen.I can’t stand this waste.
Dative:Mit der Verschwendung muss Schluss sein.The waste has to stop.
Genitive:Die Ursachen der Verschwendung sind vielfältig.The causes of the waste are varied.
Feminine case pattern: die, die, der, der
Word variations and language tidbits
Common compound forms include:
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Zeitverschwendung - waste of time
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Geldverschwendung - waste of money
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Ressourcenverschwendung - resource waste
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Verschwendungssucht - compulsion to waste / overspending habit
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verschwendungsfrei - without waste (a transparent compound)
Lebensmittelverschwendung - food waste
Verschwendung occurs in discussions of resources, time, money and public spending. Waste meaning garbage is der Müll or der Abfall (see trash in German); Verschwendung means wasting or squandering resources.
📘 Duden entry: https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Verschwendung🎥 Learn Verschwendung and the rest of the top 1000 German nouns in our free online video course: Watch the 1000 German Nouns video course
Curious what came before? Then you’ll want to explore Version.Or maybe your mind is still stuck on Verstand?
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