SPARINGLY Synonyms: 43 Similar and Opposite Words

sparingly

adverb

Definition of sparingly

as in poorly

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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 sparingly By most estimates, American adults sit for at least eight and often 11 or 12 hours a day, rising and moving around only sparingly. — Gretchen Reynolds, Washington Post, 28 Oct. 2026 Meanwhile, Milwaukee has used Uecker’s intellectual property sparingly. — Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 23 Oct. 2026 And the absence of the Heat’s typical high-effort defense was noticeable, especially against a team like Minnesota that sparingly moves the ball around before chucking it up from long distance. — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026 Use it sparingly on fine hair, where a heavy hand can weigh strands down. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Kansas City Star, 21 Oct. 2026 Use sparingly, as vinegar’s acidity can damage rubber gaskets over time. — Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Oct. 2026 Medical imaging tools help doctors learn more about a patient’s potential health problems without putting them under the knife—but many expose patients to radiation and should be used sparingly. — Alice Park, Time, 15 Oct. 2026 If garlic or onions regularly leave you smelling off, Cleveland Clinic suggests using them sparingly or swapping in herbs and spices. — Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Oct. 2026 Although it’s been used sparingly since first coming to market more than 25 years ago, Foamposite remains one of Nike‘s most emblematic technologies. — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sparingly

Adverb

Owens not only lacked an undergraduate degree but did poorly in school, where she was described as a hopeless case.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Nov. 2026
The researchers are now incorporating F³ into autonomous drones designed to navigate cluttered and poorly lit environments.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of poorly

Adverb

The less-than-truckload (LTL) market further tightened in the third quarter, as more carriers with spare terminal capacity picked up freight that truckload carriers can no longer move cheaply or reliably.

— Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 2 Nov. 2026
Sometimes word clouds are big-budget supergraphics realized by design firms like Pentagram, but often they are produced cheaply and quickly by non-designers, or by anonymous Etsy merchants, or in-house at printing and signage companies.

— Alec Mapes-Frances, Artforum, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of cheaply

Adverb

Maines lived frugally and generously left his estate to charity, funding a scholarship at his alma mater, SUNY at Canton, and supporting local journalism at The Asheville Watchdog.

— Sally Kestin, Sun Sentinel, 11 Sep. 2026
The family lived frugally, Ferguson said, since Good’s partner sold a company and didn’t work as Good attended graduate school online.

— PJ Green, Kansas City Star, 8 Jan. 2026

Definition of frugally

Adverb

Companies would get a tax credit if the jobs are located within economically disadvantaged regions designated by a city formula that mostly covers the South, Southwest and West sides.

— Olivia Olander, Chicago Tribune, 29 Oct. 2026
The immediate goal is to establish whether Stibnite’s tungsten deposits can be developed into a technically and economically viable source.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of economically

Adverb

If a good could be inexpensively produced elsewhere, everyone benefitted.

— Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
After recently visiting Micron headquarters in Boise, Idaho, Jim was even more convinced that the chipmaker is trading too inexpensively at only six times fiscal 2027 earnings estimates.

— Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of inexpensively

Adverb

The score by Don Ellis is shrewdly and sparely used, and the movie is uniformly well-acted, by a cast that also includes Roy Scheider, Tony LoBianco, and Harold Gary.

— Craig Fisher, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2026
Maps show the location of the crash is sparely populated and the two-lane road has no street lighting.

— Mark Price, Miami Herald, 12 Aug. 2025

Definition of sparely

Adverb

Limón would like to see the state stop subsidizing corporations who pay so meagerly that their employees qualify for Medi-Cal.

— Anita Chabria, Mercury News, 3 June 2026
When opportunities arise, whether lowly paid or not, we’re often left with no other choice than to take the role that pays meagerly.

— Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 1 Sep. 2025

Definition of meagerly

Adverb

Time, not thriftily spent but flagrantly wasted at cards or the wheel, is brought to a standstill right at the moment of its greatest potentiality—this would have to be the ultimate payoff.

— Artforum, Artforum, 28 Sep. 2026
That’s frustrating considering the format has always been thriftily priced.

— Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 14 Aug. 2025

Definition of thriftily

Browse Nearby Words

sparing

sparingly

spark

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Sparingly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sparingly. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of sparingly

adverb

Example Sentences

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