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Some common synonyms of sparing<\/em> are economical<\/em><\/a>, frugal<\/em><\/a>, and thrifty<\/em><\/a>. While all these words mean \"careful in the use of one's money or resources,\" sparing<\/em> stresses abstention and restraint.<\/p>

\/\/ sparing<\/em> in the offering of advice<\/p>" } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "When might 'economical' be a better fit than 'sparing'?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "

Although the words economical<\/em><\/a> and sparing<\/em> have much in common, economical<\/em> stresses prudent management, lack of wastefulness, and use of things to their best advantage.<\/p>

\/\/ an economical<\/em> health-care plan<\/p>" } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "When can 'frugal' be used instead of 'sparing'?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "

In some situations, the words frugal<\/em><\/a> and sparing<\/em> are roughly equivalent. However, frugal<\/em> implies absence of luxury and simplicity of lifestyle.<\/p>

\/\/ ran a frugal<\/em> household<\/p>" } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Where would 'thrifty' be a reasonable alternative to 'sparing'?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "

While in some cases nearly identical to sparing<\/em>, thrifty<\/em><\/a> stresses good management and industry.<\/p>

\/\/ thrifty<\/em> use of nonrenewable resources<\/p>" } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "How is the word 'sparing' distinct from other similar adjectives?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "

Some common synonyms of sparing<\/em> are economical<\/em><\/a>, frugal<\/em><\/a>, and thrifty<\/em><\/a>. While all these words mean \"careful in the use of one's money or resources,\" sparing<\/em> stresses abstention and restraint.<\/p>

\/\/ sparing<\/em> in the offering of advice<\/p>" } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "When might 'economical' be a better fit than 'sparing'?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "

Although the words economical<\/em><\/a> and sparing<\/em> have much in common, economical<\/em> stresses prudent management, lack of wastefulness, and use of things to their best advantage.<\/p>

\/\/ an economical<\/em> health-care plan<\/p>" } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "When can 'frugal' be used instead of 'sparing'?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "

In some situations, the words frugal<\/em><\/a> and sparing<\/em> are roughly equivalent. However, frugal<\/em> implies absence of luxury and simplicity of lifestyle.<\/p>

\/\/ ran a frugal<\/em> household<\/p>" } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Where would 'thrifty' be a reasonable alternative to 'sparing'?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "

While in some cases nearly identical to sparing<\/em>, thrifty<\/em><\/a> stresses good management and industry.<\/p>

\/\/ thrifty<\/em> use of nonrenewable resources<\/p>" } } ] }

sparing 1 of 2

adjective

ˈsper-iÅ‹ How to pronounce sparing (audio)
Definition of sparingnext
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

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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

sparing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of spare
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

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

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 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
American forces shattered military defenses, radar, and IRGC protection around the regime’s most important export hub while deliberately sparing the oil terminal itself. —Richard Goldberg, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2026 These discussions can serve legitimate purposes by sparing courts trials. —Keith Wortz, Hartford Courant, 13 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 Several times when prosecutors played video from the 2024 shooting in Far Rockaway, his widow Stephanie Diller stepped out of the courtroom, sparing herself the grisly and gruesome details of how her husband and father of her 3-year-old boy died trying to disarm an ex-convict on a busy street. —Sheetal Banchariya, New York Daily News, 11 Mar. 2026 The golden goal is even sparing Rangers fans, somewhat. —Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 10 Mar. 2026 The World Health Organization called Monday for sparing civilians and healthcare facilities in the Middle East amid the escalating conflict. —Jon Gambrell, Fortune, 2 Mar. 2026 Despite boosting his across-the-board tariffs to 15 percent over the weekend, the president’s baseline tariff has kicked in at just 10 percent, sparing trading partners from the full weight of the duty burden that was threatened. —Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 24 Feb. 2026 As adults, his children—one of whom is an acclaimed songwriter—are careful with their words and sparing with the fillers. —Angela Haupt, Time, 20 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sparing
  1. economical
  2. careful
  3. sparse
  4. conserving
  5. saving
  6. close
  7. scarce
  8. preserving
Adjective
  • Anti-nuclear activists still argue that renewable energy like wind and solar are safer and more economical.
    — Avi Asher-Schapiro, ProPublica, 24 Mar. 2026
  • As expected, Seattle chose to be economical about adding bodies to the depth chart, while shifting focus to the 2026 NFL Draft.
    — Michael-Shawn Dugar, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Definition of economical
Adjective
  • This is not the first time the United States has taken careful aim in Iran and shot its own feet.
    — Nicholas D. Kristof, Mercury News, 21 Mar. 2026
  • Kang noted that Demon Hunters’ visual style was consciously shaped by her lifelong love of anime and manhwa — Korean comics and graphic novels — and executed with careful attention to Korean linguistic and cultural nuances, even though the film’s lingua franca is American English.
    — Dan Bilefsky, HollywoodReporter, 21 Mar. 2026
Definition of careful
Adjective
  • The clean lines and walls in neutral or primary colors happen to adhere to the aesthetic values of the Bauhaus style, though for Morgan, sparse decoration is about something much simpler.
    — Wendy Goodman, Curbed, 21 Mar. 2026
  • In mid-January, NASA released imagery that showed sparse snow cover on the Rocky Mountains and Cascades — the lowest extent recorded for that date since satellite monitoring began in 2001.
    — Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 21 Mar. 2026
Definition of sparse
Verb
  • As with her earlier work, ecotourism will be a crucial component of conserving these feral swamplands and dry tropical forests at the heart of South America.
    — The Editors, Outside, 18 Mar. 2026
  • Governments in the region are scrambling to adjust — tallying oil reserves, conserving energy, competing for supplies and trying to blunt prices.
    — Anton L. Delgado, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026
Definition of conserving
Verb
  • Long Beach father Rhett Pascual isn't losing hope despite waiting for weeks to be put on the waiting list to receive a life-saving heart transplant.
    — Hunter Sowards, CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026
  • Use hooks to hang tablecloths, saving space and allowing the textiles to be part of your display.
    — Kelley Bruss, Dallas Morning News, 26 Mar. 2026
Definition of saving
Adjective
  • Many of the scouts in attendance on Tuesday — from about half the NFL teams — would have been keeping a close eye on left tackle Kage Casey.
    — Darin Oswald, Idaho Statesman, 25 Mar. 2026
  • If balloons are around, close supervision is required.
    — Nicole Villalpando, Austin American Statesman, 24 Mar. 2026
Definition of close
Adjective
  • Contrary to what their name suggests, rare earths are not actually scarce in nature.
    — Brit McCandless Farmer, CBS News, 22 Mar. 2026
  • Oil prices would continue to soar, while fertilizer, generic drugs, helium and other products dependent on the strait would grow scarce, squeezing the American economy and world economy alike.
    — Nicholas D. Kristof, Mercury News, 21 Mar. 2026
Definition of scarce
Verb
  • The goal is to increase transparency of what is what on Reddit while preserving the anonymity that makes Reddit unique.
    — Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 26 Mar. 2026
  • Some pundits believe Trump will offer Iran a generous compromise — preserving ballistic missile capability while lifting all sanctions.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 26 Mar. 2026
Definition of preserving

Browse Nearby Words

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sparing
sparingly
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Cite this Entry

“Sparing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sparing. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of sparing for Spanish Speakers

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