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waste one's talents

[/weɪst wʌnz ˈtæləntts/]
verb phrase
desperdiçar os seus talentos
1. to fail to use one's natural abilities or skills productively; to squander one's gifts or potential
She wasted her talents by refusing to pursue a career in music.
Ela desperdiçou os seus talentos ao recusar uma carreira na música.
2. to use one's abilities for purposes that are unworthy or unimportant
He felt he was wasting his talents working at that dead-end job.
Ele sentia que estava desperdiçando os seus talentos naquele emprego sem futuro.
Synonyms
squander one's abilitiesthrow away one's giftsbury one's talentsfail to realize one's potential
Antonyms
make the most of one's talentsdevelop one's abilitiesput one's talents to good userealize one's potential

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
desperdiçar os seus talentos
most common and widely understood
São Paulo
desperdiçar os seus dons
alternative using 'dons' instead of 'talentos'
Portugal
desperdiçar os seus talentos
same as general usage; sometimes 'esbanjar' used instead of 'desperdiçar'

Related Idioms & Phrases

bury one's talents under a bushel
throw pearls before swine
cast pearls before swine
waste not, want not
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