as in elegant
being strikingly neat and trim in style or appearance
a slim, spruce man in a tailor-made business suit
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spruce
Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 13 Aug. 2025
Today’s Amazon deals are all about sprucing things up: your desktop setup, your tablet experience, and your audio at home or the beach.
—Shubham Yewale, PCMAG, 20 Feb. 2025
Pick from a number of different toppings to spruce it up, but if your stomach is feeling a little uneasy, order a plain bowl to help settle it down.
—Christina Liao, Vogue, 27 Dec. 2024
The company also sells various accessories that go in between the panels to spruce them up, like wine racks, shelves, and hooks.
—Julian Chokkattu, WIRED, 21 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for spruce
Verb
The 34-mile road winds through several ecosystems from cove hardwood to northern hardwood to pine oak to spruce fir.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 13 Aug. 2025
Today’s Amazon deals are all about sprucing things up: your desktop setup, your tablet experience, and your audio at home or the beach.
—Shubham Yewale, PCMAG, 20 Feb. 2025
Pick from a number of different toppings to spruce it up, but if your stomach is feeling a little uneasy, order a plain bowl to help settle it down.
—Christina Liao, Vogue, 27 Dec. 2024
The company also sells various accessories that go in between the panels to spruce them up, like wine racks, shelves, and hooks.
—Julian Chokkattu, WIRED, 21 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for spruce
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spruce
Adjective
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And after all, luxury isn’t a price point, but an elegant state of mind.—
John Monaco,
InStyle,
7 Feb. 2026
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The cap-sleeve, cotton-blend top features an elegant, drapy design in the front.—
Melony Forcier,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But a new study suggests that, in certain organs, tumors actively communicate with the brain to trick it into protecting them.—
Jacek Krywko,
Scientific American,
4 Feb. 2026
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Experts say such scam operations in Cambodia and elsewhere have cheated people around the world out of billions of dollars and tricked people from many countries to work in them under slave-like conditions.—
Sakchai Lalit,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The gold standard of smart watches, the Apple Watch can do just about everything your iPhone can, all from your wrist.—
John Monaco,
InStyle,
7 Feb. 2026
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At the end of the day, Amodei said, people still enjoy interacting with other humans, with very smart and capable AI complementing them.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Maye’s numbers improved somewhat in the second half but not nearly enough to prevent the Seahawks from claiming a 29-13 victory.—
Chuck Schilken,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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However, the ability to choose an educational environment that truly fits our child has not only improved their academic performance, but also their overall happiness and outlook on life.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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One such fashion trend for 2026 is revisiting a tried-and-true shirt style that was first introduced in the early 1900s before reaching a stylish heyday in the 1950s.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
6 Feb. 2026
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Boricua slang like perreo (a type of dance linked to reggaeton music), janguear (to hang out) and bichiyal (a stylish woman) are sprinkled throughout many of Bad Bunny’s songs.—
Rebecca Morin,
USA Today,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Like the pharaohs and emperors of antiquity, the president weaponizes the past to justify his present actions and future plans, omitting and embellishing events of yesteryear to fit a bellicose agenda.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
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Robbie's custom Chanel creation included a corseted bodice and a floor-length velvet skirt embellished with feathers and silk petals, which was draped over ivory silk faille.—
Hannah Malach,
InStyle,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Long before land conservation became fashionable among billionaires, Ted Turner was buying ranchland with ecological ambition.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
10 Feb. 2026
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Women were very fashionable in Cairo and never dared go out in raggedy clothes.—
Letters To The Editor,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The College Football Playoff quarterfinals will feature a matchup of multi-time national champions, a game pitting two programs searching for natty No. 1, an SEC rematch and the first meeting between Indiana and Alabama.—
Scott Dochterman,
New York Times,
21 Dec. 2025
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In terms of alternative arrangements, Fox arguably has the best options for its Week 5 natty, as the other game scheduled in that window is Commanders-Chargers.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spruce.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spruce. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
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