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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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 sparing
Joe Walsh, CBS News, 19 Dec. 2025
But the smile is now more sparing, at least on camera.
—Longreads, 19 Dec. 2024
Mercy for violence, however, remained more sparing.
—New York Times, 17 Nov. 2021
Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 1 Apr. 2026
The Iran war is sparing no major economy, but one could be hit harder than others.
—Ian King, CNBC, 1 Apr. 2026
At God’s instruction Moses stretches out his staff and brings about hailstorms that kill unprotected livestock, crops, and humans alike throughout Egypt, while sparing Goshen.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026
The $90 million settlement proposed last fall covers roughly 180 lawsuits related to that crew, sparing the city the expense of litigating those claims one by one.
—Joe Mahr, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
Proton beam therapy is a form of radiation treatment that delivers a highly precise dose to the tumor, sparing the surrounding tissue and thus reducing side effects.
—Caleb Hellerman, CNN Money, 29 Mar. 2026
In December, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge granted her diversion due to mental health issues, sparing her potential jail time.
—Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026
The administration is sparing only the essentials, according to Gilman.
—Andy Sheehan, CBS News, 25 Mar. 2026
Milwaukee/Sullivan National Weather Service meteorologist Andrew Quigley said earlier predictions of a foot or more of snow in Milwaukee have shifted north, somewhat sparing southern Wisconsin.
—Caden Perry, jsonline.com, 13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
In other cases, the redactions were more sparing.
—Joe Walsh, CBS News, 19 Dec. 2025
But the smile is now more sparing, at least on camera.
—Longreads, 19 Dec. 2024
Mercy for violence, however, remained more sparing.
—New York Times, 17 Nov. 2021
Verb
Quarter is the technical term for sparing the lives of enemies who have surrendered.
—Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 1 Apr. 2026
The Iran war is sparing no major economy, but one could be hit harder than others.
—Ian King, CNBC, 1 Apr. 2026
At God’s instruction Moses stretches out his staff and brings about hailstorms that kill unprotected livestock, crops, and humans alike throughout Egypt, while sparing Goshen.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026
The $90 million settlement proposed last fall covers roughly 180 lawsuits related to that crew, sparing the city the expense of litigating those claims one by one.
—Joe Mahr, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
Proton beam therapy is a form of radiation treatment that delivers a highly precise dose to the tumor, sparing the surrounding tissue and thus reducing side effects.
—Caleb Hellerman, CNN Money, 29 Mar. 2026
In December, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge granted her diversion due to mental health issues, sparing her potential jail time.
—Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026
The administration is sparing only the essentials, according to Gilman.
—Andy Sheehan, CBS News, 25 Mar. 2026
Milwaukee/Sullivan National Weather Service meteorologist Andrew Quigley said earlier predictions of a foot or more of snow in Milwaukee have shifted north, somewhat sparing southern Wisconsin.
—Caden Perry, jsonline.com, 13 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sparing
Adjective
-
Manufacturing entire components from tungsten is therefore neither economical nor practical.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Your grocery store likely has a flowers section that can be both a convenient and economical option—but knowing which ones to pick can make or break a supermarket bouquet.—
Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner,
Martha Stewart,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Orion is a tight space for four people to navigate, so the crew members have a careful choreography to maximize the data the astronauts can gather.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Through careful tuning of an extended Kalman filter and by taking advantage of bamboo’s natural vibration-damping properties, the system slashes control latency from 15–20 milliseconds down to just 8–10 milliseconds, enhancing responsiveness while keeping flight stable.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The evidence in favor of many other unapproved peptides is even sparser.—
Dhruv Khullar,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
-
The options were sparse against the favorite for defensive player of the year honors.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
For Robert Flamerich, who drives from Miami Beach to Doral daily, conserving gas means sacrificing comfort.—
Austin Carter,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Many of Brandix’s facilities operate primarily on solar energy and employ advanced energy optimization systems, helping to maintain continuity while conserving resources.—
Mayu Saini,
Sourcing Journal,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Officers began life-saving measures and requested an ambulance to respond to the scene.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Harvesting rainwater has many benefits from saving money on your water bill to utilizing what freely falls from the sky for times when raindrops aren’t so abundant.—
Lauren David,
Southern Living,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
King’s plans center around keeping close contact with constituents, revitalizing downtown and residential areas and advancing historic preservation and tourism efforts.—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Offer to Saudi crown prince Epstein was introduced to Raafat Al-Sabbagh, a close advisor of Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, in 2016 by Norwegian diplomat Terje Rød-Larsen.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
When workers are scarce, firms have to offer higher wages to attract and keep them.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Underwater Caves Hold More Than Human Remains Around the time this individual was alive, the Yucatán Peninsula was a semi-arid savannah with no rivers or lakes — water and shade were scarce.—
Ryan Brennan
April 4,
Kansas City Star,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Still, for researchers, the project marks an important step in preserving what remains of the red wolf's genetic legacy.—
Moná Thomas,
PEOPLE,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado called Thursday for allotting more than $360 million to developers and nonprofits building and preserving affordable housing projects.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sparing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sparing. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
