as in elegant
being strikingly neat and trim in style or appearance
a slim, spruce man in a tailor-made business suit
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spruce
ABC News, 27 Feb. 2026
Something always needs stabilizing, fixing or sprucing in a 174-year-old building.
—Maggie Menderski, Louisville Courier Journal, 19 Feb. 2026
Very few of today’s displays predate the 1990s, with some being renovated over the years to either spruce them up or change their theme.
—Sal Pizarro, Mercury News, 2 Dec. 2025
Available in various colors, from black to blush pink patent leather, the closed toe pumps offer an adjustable buckle slingback strap and fun geometric side cut-outs that spruce your outfit up.
—Meaghan Kenny, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spruce
Verb
Fortunately, the wise old Professor Tangrowth is there to help spruce it up.
—ABC News, 27 Feb. 2026
Something always needs stabilizing, fixing or sprucing in a 174-year-old building.
—Maggie Menderski, Louisville Courier Journal, 19 Feb. 2026
Very few of today’s displays predate the 1990s, with some being renovated over the years to either spruce them up or change their theme.
—Sal Pizarro, Mercury News, 2 Dec. 2025
Available in various colors, from black to blush pink patent leather, the closed toe pumps offer an adjustable buckle slingback strap and fun geometric side cut-outs that spruce your outfit up.
—Meaghan Kenny, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spruce
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spruce
Adjective
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Evening dining features an elegant dress code, with the exception of the casual lobster bake held on Fridays.—
Chelsea Adams,
USA Today,
20 June 2026
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These summer-flowering bulbs produce elegant, tall spikes of flowers that contrast well with the more traditional bloom shapes of dahlias.—
Andy Wilcox,
Better Homes & Gardens,
20 June 2026
Verb
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The program trains itself to follow your eyeballs and then tries to trick players by moving the circles.—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
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Those sites were designed to look real enough to trick people into entering credit card details, passwords or other sensitive information.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
17 June 2026
Adjective
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But behind every chatbot, smart assistant and AI image generator sits a massive physical network.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
20 June 2026
-
The plot sees Bonnie, now eight, increasingly drawn to a smart tablet, Lilypad, challenging her traditional toys led by Jessie.—
Hannah Abraham,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2026
Verb
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How airlines and airports can do better Maglione and Riccobono both said that training and implementing new technology can go a long way toward improving the flying experience for blind travelers.—
Zach Wichter,
USA Today,
22 June 2026
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The Sparks improved to 7-0 in games when the four-time All-Star has six-plus assists (Plum had seven), and the team posted a season-high 28 assists.—
Joaquin Ruiz,
Los Angeles Times,
22 June 2026
Adjective
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Beren has achived high ratings from customers since moving into a stylish dining room that was formerly a vegetarian fine-dining restaurant.—
Bud Kennedy,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
20 June 2026
-
Baby blue is tranquil and stylish—but just offbeat enough to be interesting.—
Elle Turner,
Glamour,
19 June 2026
Verb
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The sandals are embellished with the signature Ribbon buckle, which decorates a dainty strap that wraps delicately around the ankle.—
Karla Rodriguez,
Footwear News,
16 June 2026
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The show was named after one of these ships, The Terror (the second was The Erebus) and it’s all based on a true story, though wildly embellished both out of necessity and for entertainment purposes.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
Adjective
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This year’s Royal Ascot is officially underway in England, and the royal family's latest addition—Harriet Sperling—gave a fashionable nod to Kate Middleton with her light blue ensemble.—
Staff Author,
InStyle,
16 June 2026
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The costumes are more fantastical than grittily realistic as well, with a hip Steampunk vibe that’s more fashionable than purely Victorian.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
16 June 2026
Verb
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Looking to doll up your collarbones instead?—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
7 Oct. 2025
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The store had to be closed for several days while volunteers set the dolls up for display, and only 25 shoppers could be allowed in at a time for viewing because of the dolls’ values.—
Elizabeth Marie Himchak,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spruce.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spruce. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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