Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Wasteful / Squandering: Describes the action of using or spending resources (such as money, time, or effort) carelessly, extravagantly, or without purpose, leading to loss.
   • Neglectful / Oblivious: Describes a state of being inattentive, forgetful, or failing to pay proper attention to important matters or responsibilities.

2. Adjective (in compounds):

   • Aimless / Drifting: Often found in compound words to describe something moving or existing without a clear direction, purpose, or focus.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Anh ta sống rất lãng phí. (He lives very wastefully.)
  • Đừng lãng quên nhiệm vụ của mình. (Do not neglect your duty.)
  • Cô ấy có cái nhìn lãng đãng. (She has a distant, absent-minded gaze.)

Advanced Usage

• The word "lãng" is rarely used alone in modern Vietnamese. Its core meanings are almost always expressed through specific compound words.
• "lãng mạn": romantic (in the artistic or sentimental sense).
  • Thơ của ông ấy tràn đầy tinh thần lãng mạn. (His poetry is full of romantic spirit.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lãng phí (adj, v): wasteful; to waste.

  • Lãng phí thời gian là không nên. (Wasting time is not advisable.)

• Lãng quên (v): to forget, to neglect (often implies forgetting something important).

  • Chúng ta không được lãng quên quá khứ. (We must not forget the past.)

• Lãng đãng (adj): absent-minded, distracted, with one's thoughts elsewhere.

  • Cậu bé nhìn lãng đãng ra cửa sổ. (The boy looked out the window absent-mindedly.)

• Lãng tử (n, literary): a wanderer, a drifter (often with a romantic connotation).

  • Chàng lãng tử đó lại ra đi. (That wanderer has left again.)

Synonyms

• Wasteful: extravagant, prodigal.
• Neglectful: forgetful, inattentive, oblivious.
• Aimless: drifting, wandering.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Lãng xẹt (adj, colloquial): superficial, cursory, done without proper care or depth.

  • Bài báo cáo này viết quá lãng xẹt. (This report is written too superficially.)

• Đi lãng (v, phrase): to wander off, to go for an aimless stroll.

  • Bà cụ thích đi lãng trong công viên. (The old lady likes to wander in the park.)