1
as in preserved
to use or give out in stingy amounts
I'll have a banana split—and don't spare the whipped cream
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in saved
to avoid unnecessary waste or expense
she had grown up during the Great Depression, so she was no stranger to sparing
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spared
Houk said that since 2020, the lab has sent the network between 40 and 50 pigs that have remained largely healthy after their studies, having no organ damage and thus spared euthanization.
—
Kansas City Star, 10 May 2026
That means that employees who can work from home have been spared their commute roughly one extra day every other week, Bloom said.
—Tami Luhby, CNN Money, 10 May 2026
If a concord can be struck and the war brought to an end, UAE residents will be among those breathing the biggest sighs of relief after their country was singled out for Iranian attacks again this week while other Gulf states were spared.
—Dominic Dudley, semafor.com, 7 May 2026
Even in California, which would not be spared by what the court could do, and whose policies are central to the case.
—Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
Christian villages along the border with Israel have been mostly spared intense Israeli bombardment that has caused wide destruction in other parts of predominantly Shiite southern Lebanon.
—ABC News, 6 May 2026
In 1998, Unabomber Theodore Kaczynski was given four life sentences plus 30 years by a federal judge in Sacramento, California, under a plea agreement that spared him the death penalty.
—Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2026
Their intensity, physicality and technical play were superior from the start, the type of performance expected from a superteam built loudly and with no expense spared by owner Michele Kang since agreeing the acquisition of the club in 2023.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 3 May 2026
Astros starter Mike Burrows didn’t pitch a clean inning until his sixth and final frame, but was spared damage nearly every time by a Red Sox offense that continues to struggle to convert baserunners into runs.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 2 May 2026
Kansas City Star, 10 May 2026
That means that employees who can work from home have been spared their commute roughly one extra day every other week, Bloom said.
—Tami Luhby, CNN Money, 10 May 2026
If a concord can be struck and the war brought to an end, UAE residents will be among those breathing the biggest sighs of relief after their country was singled out for Iranian attacks again this week while other Gulf states were spared.
—Dominic Dudley, semafor.com, 7 May 2026
Even in California, which would not be spared by what the court could do, and whose policies are central to the case.
—Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
Christian villages along the border with Israel have been mostly spared intense Israeli bombardment that has caused wide destruction in other parts of predominantly Shiite southern Lebanon.
—ABC News, 6 May 2026
In 1998, Unabomber Theodore Kaczynski was given four life sentences plus 30 years by a federal judge in Sacramento, California, under a plea agreement that spared him the death penalty.
—Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2026
Their intensity, physicality and technical play were superior from the start, the type of performance expected from a superteam built loudly and with no expense spared by owner Michele Kang since agreeing the acquisition of the club in 2023.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 3 May 2026
Astros starter Mike Burrows didn’t pitch a clean inning until his sixth and final frame, but was spared damage nearly every time by a Red Sox offense that continues to struggle to convert baserunners into runs.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 2 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spared
Verb
-
City Council members criticized the proposal this week, calling the festival a key part of San Diego’s civic fabric that should be preserved if at all possible.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
-
Audiences can rest assured that the emotional core that secured the play’s spot in the theater canon will be preserved no matter what changes are made.—
Malia Mendez,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
Verb
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The fjord bends, combined with the ship being far enough away and in deep water, were key factors that saved them.—
Ella Nilsen,
CNN Money,
6 May 2026
-
Joe Kilsheimer, a former Sentinel reporter who later served as mayor of Apopka and president of the Friends of Lake Apopka, said Thomas believed even during the lake’s bleakest times that it could be saved.—
Stephen Hudak,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
The fundamental principle is that water is conserved.—
Robert Knight,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 May 2026
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As part of conservation efforts in the 1980s and 90s, more than 800 otters were released in Missouri and waterways were conserved.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spared.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spared. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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