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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of spared
Although Orlando was spared the worst of the hurricane, the storm provided city leaders with a new perspective in planning the city’s growth.
—
Martin E. Comas, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 June 2026
But over the last week, the UAE has been spared Iranian projectiles, while Kuwait and Bahrain have been hit.
—Azhar Sukri, CNBC, 13 June 2026
The damage is not evenly distributed, but no region has been spared.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 12 June 2026
Mental health crisis teams spared Lawmakers also pushed back on a deeply unpopular move Newsom made to roll back state funding for mental health crisis response teams counties have built up in recent years.
—Sacbee.com, 12 June 2026
California’s largest cities have been spared major destructive temblors over the last quarter century.
—Shelby Grad, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026
Spielberg spared no expense when casting Richard Attenborough in the iconic role of Jurassic Park's magnanimous founder, John Hammond.
—Huntley Woods, Entertainment Weekly, 11 June 2026
Some took place in dormitories on campus, examining quiet moments between friends or lovers—even these inward-looking stories weren’t spared bloodshed that year.
—Literary Hub, 10 June 2026
Sidon, the largest city in southern Lebanon, had largely been spared from the Israeli strikes that have pummelled much of the country's south and east.
—Frank Andrews, CBS News, 10 June 2026
Martin E. Comas, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 June 2026
But over the last week, the UAE has been spared Iranian projectiles, while Kuwait and Bahrain have been hit.
—Azhar Sukri, CNBC, 13 June 2026
The damage is not evenly distributed, but no region has been spared.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 12 June 2026
Mental health crisis teams spared Lawmakers also pushed back on a deeply unpopular move Newsom made to roll back state funding for mental health crisis response teams counties have built up in recent years.
—Sacbee.com, 12 June 2026
California’s largest cities have been spared major destructive temblors over the last quarter century.
—Shelby Grad, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026
Spielberg spared no expense when casting Richard Attenborough in the iconic role of Jurassic Park's magnanimous founder, John Hammond.
—Huntley Woods, Entertainment Weekly, 11 June 2026
Some took place in dormitories on campus, examining quiet moments between friends or lovers—even these inward-looking stories weren’t spared bloodshed that year.
—Literary Hub, 10 June 2026
Sidon, the largest city in southern Lebanon, had largely been spared from the Israeli strikes that have pummelled much of the country's south and east.
—Frank Andrews, CBS News, 10 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spared
Verb
-
After excavation was halted, the remains were reinterred, and the site was preserved under the National Park Service.—
Christina Ray Stanton,
New York Daily News,
19 June 2026
-
The company preserved Pan Am logos and gold paneling, and restored the original reflecting pools.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
Modern triage systems emerged from battlefields where medical personnel had to decide, in seconds, who could be saved.—
Rob Lewis,
New York Daily News,
17 June 2026
-
In other words, the debate is less about whether Social Security can be saved than which Americans should bear the cost of saving it.—
Aimee Picchi,
CBS News,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
The genetic machinery for responding to photoperiod is deeply conserved; there is no evolutionary precedent for light at the wrong time of night, and therefore no adaptive buffer against it.—
John Drake,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
-
These nuclei are extremely well conserved across different species through evolution, all the way from lampreys to humans.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spared.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spared. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
