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 In the near-decade since, Jay-Z has chosen his moments of visibility sparingly, appearing mostly as a power broker playing in one-per-center sandboxes. — Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026 The car, which has spent the last 24 years under private ownership, appears to have been well looked after and driven sparingly, with less than 1,900 miles showing up on the odometer. — Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 14 Sep. 2026 Open Shelving Install open shelving sparingly, advises interior designer Rebekah Murphy. — Kristin Hohenadel, The Spruce, 2 Sep. 2026 But there was a time when comic-book heroes appeared on movie screens only sparingly — particularly between the waning days of old serials and the premiere of Superman in 1978. — Jesse Hassenger, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Aug. 2026 He was sidelined much of his rookie season because of a shoulder injury, and was subsequently used sparingly the next three seasons. — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026 Moving peonies can set their growth back by as much as two to three years while the root system resets, so transplant sparingly. — Blythe Copeland, Martha Stewart, 26 Aug. 2026 Beckham, Slayton and Austin then played Saturday’s game against Miami, with Slayton and Austin starting ahead of OBJ alongside the rookie Fields, who played sparingly. — Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 24 Aug. 2026 Virginia will go from Morris (a 3,000-yard passer) to either Beau Primula (played sparingly at Penn State and started at Missouri) or Eli Holstein (lost his starting job at Pittsburgh). — Bob Ferrante, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sparingly

Adverb

But his party's crushing defeat in both states is starting to reflect poorly on Merz.

— Esme Nicholson, NPR, 21 Sep. 2026
Right tackle Austin Jackson, who has played poorly the first two weeks, permitted four pressures, per PFF.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of poorly

Adverb

School uniforms were born out of a necessity to clothe students as cheaply as possible.

— Eva Wolchover, Vanity Fair, 21 Sep. 2026
The great challenge of teaching is not to transmit information—machines do that cheaply now—but to engineer those moments of genuine understanding reliably enough that students come to crave them.

— Dan Rockmore, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 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

The duo walks away from this skirmish, though not unscathed, as Samjad quickly and economically sets up a blistering saga of stylish reprisals with no holds barred.

— Siddhant Adlakha, IndieWire, 17 Sep. 2026
Cameron inked a deal with Meta for its Meta Quest VR headsets in 2024, and Lightstorm believes that studios will be able to economically turn their film and TV libraries into 3D content that can be played in those environments, at a reasonable cost.

— Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of economically

Adverb

As air conditioning breakdowns grow more common and repair companies face packed schedules, many homeowners are eager to get their cooling restored as quickly — and as inexpensively — as possible.

— Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 31 July 2026
While secondary payloads can fly with many launch providers, none offer transportation as frequently or inexpensively as SpaceX rideshare.

— Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 26 June 2026

Definition of inexpensively

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

Browse Nearby Words

sparing

sparingly

spark

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“Sparingly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sparingly. Accessed 26 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of sparingly

adverb

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