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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spared
He was spared a possible life sentence when found not guilty of the more serious charges.
—
Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 4 Nov. 2025
Chairman Jeff Shi and owners Fosun will not be spared ongoing criticism, of course, but the players and staff will have the chance to turn around their form in a period of grace.
—Steve Madeley, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
Aleisha played a key part in the sentencing of her father, who was spared the death penalty after making a deal with prosecutors.
—Chris Spargo, PEOPLE, 1 Nov. 2025
Few departments were spared, with staffers let go across news, movies, TV and back office.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 31 Oct. 2025
Although San Jose has been largely spared from large-scale operations seen across the country, the few cases locally and other incidents happening elsewhere already have impacted the day-to-day lives of immigrant families.
—Devan Patel, Mercury News, 29 Oct. 2025
Wars and insurrections have afflicted other parts of the Middle East, but Baghdad—a city whose name was once synonymous with suicide bombings and sectarian murder—has been spared.
—Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 28 Oct. 2025
Earth, a tiny target in the vastness of space, would often be spared from being hit by these magnetic projectiles.
—Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
Ongoing protests across the country, though notable in size, passion and spontaneity, have so far largely spared the political capital, Yaoundé.
—Amindeh Blaise Atabong, semafor.com, 27 Oct. 2025
Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 4 Nov. 2025
Chairman Jeff Shi and owners Fosun will not be spared ongoing criticism, of course, but the players and staff will have the chance to turn around their form in a period of grace.
—Steve Madeley, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
Aleisha played a key part in the sentencing of her father, who was spared the death penalty after making a deal with prosecutors.
—Chris Spargo, PEOPLE, 1 Nov. 2025
Few departments were spared, with staffers let go across news, movies, TV and back office.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 31 Oct. 2025
Although San Jose has been largely spared from large-scale operations seen across the country, the few cases locally and other incidents happening elsewhere already have impacted the day-to-day lives of immigrant families.
—Devan Patel, Mercury News, 29 Oct. 2025
Wars and insurrections have afflicted other parts of the Middle East, but Baghdad—a city whose name was once synonymous with suicide bombings and sectarian murder—has been spared.
—Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 28 Oct. 2025
Earth, a tiny target in the vastness of space, would often be spared from being hit by these magnetic projectiles.
—Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
Ongoing protests across the country, though notable in size, passion and spontaneity, have so far largely spared the political capital, Yaoundé.
—Amindeh Blaise Atabong, semafor.com, 27 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spared
Verb
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The family returned home heartbroken and frustrated, with no DNA testing conducted and no indication that the remains—or any other evidence—had been preserved or examined.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
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Pregnancy is difficult to detect in ancient human remains, and scientists previously believed that the composition of hard tissues was so overwhelmingly inorganic that these proteins would not be preserved or detected, Barlow said.—
Jack Guy,
CNN Money,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Had the vaccine reached the elder sooner, perhaps more of the Juma people’s history would have been saved.—
Adriana Brasileiro,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
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Go to Settings > General > Local Capture to choose where your recordings are saved or to enable audio-only recording.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
In 2023, however, Glendale conserved the full 7,000 acre-feet because a wet year on the Salt provided the city with enough water to make up for losses in Colorado River water.—
Austin Corona,
AZCentral.com,
6 Nov. 2025
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Bell did what most drivers did, opting to run all-out on fresher tires and more gas — while Logano conserved his fuel all the way to the finish.—
Jeff Gluck,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spared.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spared. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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