Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Extravagant; wasteful: Characterized by excessive or careless spending of money, resources, or time, beyond what is reasonable or necessary.
   • Prodigal: Tending to squander or use resources in a reckless, lavish manner.

2. Verb:

   • To squander; to waste: To spend or use (money, resources, time, effort) in a foolish, excessive, or unnecessary way, resulting in loss.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • Lối sống hoang phí của anh ấy khiến anh nhanh chóng hết tiền. (His extravagant lifestyle caused him to run out of money quickly.)
  • Đó là một sự hoang phí tài nguyên thiên nhiên. (That is a wasteful use of natural resources.)

• Verb:

  • Anh ta hoang phí toàn bộ gia tài vào cờ bạc. (He squandered his entire fortune on gambling.)
  • Đừng hoang phí thời gian của bạn vào những việc vô ích. (Don't waste your time on useless things.)

Advanced Usage

• The word often carries a strong negative moral judgment, implying not just wastefulness but also a lack of responsibility, especially towards resources that are valuable or collectively owned.
• It can be used in both personal contexts (personal money, time) and broader societal contexts (public funds, natural resources).

Variants and Related Words

• Lãng phí (v/n/adj): To waste; wastefulness; wasteful. This is a very close synonym, often used interchangeably with "hoang phí," though "lãng phí" can sometimes sound slightly less severe.

  • Lãng phí thức ăn là không tốt. (Wasting food is not good.)

• Phung phí (v): To squander recklessly, to dissipate. Similar to "hoang phí" but can emphasize even more reckless and rapid waste.

  • Phung phí tiền bạc. (To fritter away money.)

Synonyms

• Squander: To spend thoughtlessly or wastefully.
• Waste: To use or expend carelessly or without purpose.
• Extravagant: Lacking restraint in spending money or using resources.
• Prodigal: Recklessly wasteful.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Hoang phí tiền của: To squander money and assets.

  • Công ty đó bị buộc tội hoang phí tiền của cổ đông. (That company was accused of squandering shareholders' money.)

• Hoang phí tuổi trẻ: To waste one's youth.

  • Cậu ấy hối hận vì đã hoang phí tuổi trẻ. (He regrets wasting his youth.)

• Hoang phí cơ hội: To waste an opportunity.

  • Đừng hoang phí cơ hội vàng này. (Don't waste this golden opportunity.)

adj

1. extravagant
   • hoang phí tiền bạc
     to squawder one's money