Synonyms of sparing

sparing 1 of 2

adjective

ˈsper-iŋ 

1

as in economical

careful in the management of money or resources

a sparing couple who are trying to save up enough for a house

Synonyms & Similar Words

• economical
• saving
• economizing
• conserving
• prudent
• preserving
• provident
• thrifty
• frugal
• scrimping
• cheap
• spare
• pinching
• close
• foresighted
• forehanded
• parsimonious
• miserly
• stingy
• mean
• penny-wise
• tightfisted
• tight
• foresightful
• stinting
• penurious
• penny-pinching
• closefisted

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• wasteful
• profligate
• prodigal
• spendthrift
• unthrifty
• generous
• squandering
• improvident
• shortsighted
• liberal
• charitable
• bountiful
• unselfish
• munificent
• unsparing
• thriftless
• lavish
• extravagant
• indulgent
• openhanded
• freehanded

2

as in careful

giving or sharing as little as possible

a government agency that has always been sparing of public information

Synonyms & Similar Words

• careful
• close
• spare
• pinching
• selfish
• desirous
• tight
• parsimonious
• conserving
• miserly
• greedy
• mean
• stingy
• saving
• cheap
• ungenerous
• tightfisted
• stinting
• economical
• penurious
• uncharitable
• small
• penny-pinching
• chintzy
• mingy
• economizing
• pinchpenny
• closefisted
• chary
• thrifty
• frugal
• grudging
• skimping
• grasping
• avaricious
• mercenary
• covetous
• begrudging
• envious
• sordid
• avid
• scrimping
• acquisitive
• rapacious
• shabby
• hoggish
• resentful
• coveting
• itchy
• inhospitable

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• generous
• liberal
• bountiful
• charitable
• unstinting
• bounteous
• unsparing
• munificent
• openhanded
• free
• selfless
• unselfish
• altruistic
• lavish
• extravagant
• handsome
• profuse
• benevolent
• overgenerous
• hospitable
• humanitarian
• freehanded
• beneficent
• philanthropic
• kindly
• magnanimous
• compassionate
• wasting
• wasteful
• openhearted
• profligate
• unthrifty
• prodigal
• dissipating
• spendthrift
• good-hearted
• squandering
• greathearted
• thriftless
• frittering
• splurging

3

as in sparse

less plentiful than what is normal, necessary, or desirable

unfortunately, the explanation of the health insurance plan was somewhat sparing on details

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sparse
• scarce
• poor
• spare
• scant
• scanty
• meager
• lowest
• lacking
• stingy
• skimpy
• small
• light
• insufficient
• slender
• mere
• short
• inadequate
• minimal
• skimp
• thin on the ground
• exiguous
• hand-to-mouth
• slim
• least
• deficient
• wanting
• slightest
• thin
• bare-bones
• littlest
• bare
• sterile
• slight
• unfruitful
• unproductive
• barren
• infertile

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• sufficient
• ample
• adequate
• abundant
• generous
• enough
• copious
• liberal
• satisfactory
• plentiful
• bountiful
• rich
• tolerable
• fruitful
• fertile
• fat
• plenteous
• prolific
• extra
• lavish
• excess
• bursting
• luxuriant
• flourishing
• fecund
• thriving
• surplus
• proliferative
• teeming
• swarming
• blooming

sparing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of spare

1

as in conserving

to use or give out in stingy amounts

I'll have a banana split—and don't spare the whipped cream

Synonyms & Similar Words

• conserving
• preserving
• skimping (on)
• scanting
• nursing
• stinting (on)
• shortchanging
• pinching
• doling out
• meting (out)
• rationing (out)
• portioning (out)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• pouring
• showering
• raining
• heaping
• lavishing

2

as in saving

to avoid unnecessary waste or expense

she had grown up during the Great Depression, so she was no stranger to sparing

Synonyms & Similar Words

• saving
• conserving
• economizing
• managing
• preserving
• skimping
• scrimping
• pinching
• scraping
• maintaining
• pinching pennies
• husbanding
• cutting down
• hoarding
• cutting back
• retrenching
• laying up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• wasting
• spending
• blowing
• squandering
• lavishing
• dissipating
• running through
• throwing away
• frittering (away)
• misspending
• splurging

Synonym Chooser

How is the word sparing distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of sparing are economical, frugal, and thrifty. While all these words mean "careful in the use of one's money or resources," sparing stresses abstention and restraint.

sparing in the offering of advice

When might economical be a better fit than sparing?

Although the words economical and sparing have much in common, economical stresses prudent management, lack of wastefulness, and use of things to their best advantage.

an economical health-care plan

When can frugal be used instead of sparing?

In some situations, the words frugal and sparing are roughly equivalent. However, frugal implies absence of luxury and simplicity of lifestyle.

ran a frugal household

Where would thrifty be a reasonable alternative to sparing?

While in some cases nearly identical to sparing, thrifty stresses good management and industry.

thrifty use of nonrenewable resources

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of sparing

Adjective

In other cases, the redactions were more sparing. — Joe Walsh, CBS News, 19 Dec. 2025

Verb

The Food and Drug Administration in December cleared the da Vinci single-port surgical system for use in nipple-sparing mastectomies. — Martha Ross, Mercury News, 30 July 2026

Samsung also highlights that Gemini can now perform actions directly from what's on display, sparing you the hassle of switching between multiple apps. — Kimberly Gedeon, PC Magazine, 23 July 2026

Insoles grant just that extra bit of support and comfort, sparing your feet from bearing the brunt of impact (which only exacerbates plantar fasciitis). — Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 22 July 2026

Such tactics also showcase the Ukrainian military’s ongoing experimentation with using drones and robots to offset a Russian military advantage in manpower while also sparing Ukrainian soldiers from making dangerous assaults. — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 22 July 2026

Cogan also said Zamabda deserved credit for sparing the government the difficulty and cost of going to trial. — Senior Editor, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2026

His wife also claimed that Venezuelan authorities confiscated family property and repeatedly called demanding money in exchange for sparing his life. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 14 July 2026

Following grueling rounds of chemotherapy and immunotherapy, Pan underwent the first robotic single-port nipple-sparing mastectomy performed in the United States outside of clinical trials. — Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 11 July 2026

There is less and less of it as the series goes on, because the idea was to be as sparing with it as possible. — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 30 June 2026