SPARING Synonyms: 195 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

sparing 1 of 2

adjective

ˈsper-iŋ

Definition of sparing

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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in careful

giving or sharing as little as possible a government agency that has always been sparing of public information

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

sparing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of spare

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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 sparing

Adjective

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

Verb

This would have let the Bears build on land that is or would become publicly owned, sparing the stadium from property taxes. — Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune, 1 Oct. 2026 The same tools that help scientists design a drug that targets cancer cells while sparing healthy ones can be tweaked to build a drug that targets healthy cells alone. — Ashish K. Jha, STAT, 28 Sep. 2026 Keep the diesel at home and prices will fall, sparing farmers, truckers, and inflationary pressures on all Americans. — Jordan Blum, Fortune, 23 Sep. 2026 Skechers Endeavour Sneaker If a $300 price tag is a bit prohibitive to you right now, here’s a wallet-sparing alternative, in the form of the Skechers Endeavour. — Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 18 Sep. 2026 The hospital treats about 175 major pediatric spine cases per year, sparing patients from pain, and in some advanced cases, degraded lung function. — Sacbee.com, 14 Sep. 2026 Walking the red carpet at the National Television Awards in London on September 8, Graham explained his reasoning for sparing any details. — Hannah Malach, InStyle, 14 Sep. 2026 If the Niners want to launch a rookie back into an opposing defensive front a few times each game, sparing CMC the wear and tear, that’s probably a good thing. — Andy Behrens, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026 The United States has now named six Chinese AI firms accused of waging industrial-scale attacks distilling US frontier AI model capabilities and perhaps sparing billions in Chinese development costs. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 9 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sparing

Adjective

For a more economical option, a recording-only version of the show will be screened on select Sundays and weeknights during the Sacramento run.

— Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 1 Oct. 2026
Rival executives laud the company for investing in new ideas but wonder if there’s a more economical way to do so.

— Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of economical

Adjective

Nick wants to be careful about their firm’s spending, but Serena reminds him that Cathcarts has every resource at its disposal.

— Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
The Iranian regime will need to be careful before launching such an attack, or even before undertaking lesser forms of escalation.

— Mohammad Ayatollahi Tabaar, Foreign Affairs, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of careful

Adjective

If tree canopies looked denser in previous years but are starting to look sparse, your trees may be in trouble.

— Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 28 Sep. 2026
However, sparse physical controls force heavy reliance on voice commands or the companion app, and the broader conceptual AI features fall short of being genuinely useful.

— Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of sparse

Verb

The Biden administration’s designation of the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary in 2024 represents virtually all of California’s progress conserving coastal waters since the state began tracking.

— Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
This line is increasing sustainable sourcing, minimizing landfill waste, and conserving fresh water, among many initiatives.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of conserving

Verb

Two people Perry met in recovery and rehab spoke for the film as well, including Evelyn Sallinger and Tim Harrington, who became Perry’s roommate for a time in the early 2000s and credits the actor with saving his life.

— Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 29 Sep. 2026
That was in part to force the fathers to pay child maintenance, thus saving taxpayers’ money, but also supposedly to save the souls of both parents.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of saving

Adjective

In my view, a multinational AI task force of government and private sector experts from a range of disciplines would be more prudent than creating an AI Force, a quasi-military entity that would institutionalize AI’s worst impulses.

— Jason M. Blazakis, The Conversation, 28 Sep. 2026
For decades, prudent stewardship meant protecting wealth from uncertainty.

— Walid Chiniara, Forbes.com, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of prudent

Adjective

The first five conditions describe any lasting affectionate bond, such as a close friendship.

— Pascal Vrticka, Scientific American, 4 Oct. 2026
While formally a candidate for European Union membership, Serbia’s accession process has stalled under Vucic, who maintains close ties with Russia and China.

— ABC News, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of close

Adjective

In line with Parton’s original goal, the Imagination Library may do the most to change reading habits in lower-income homes – where children’s books tend to be scarce.

— Alex H. Poole, The Conversation, 2 Oct. 2026
Both men said that California was expensive, housing too scarce, homelessness too common and education too often failing to serve the state’s children.

— Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of scarce

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spares

sparing

sparingly

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Style

“Sparing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sparing. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of sparing

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