sparing

[spair-ing]

adjective

1. economical (often followed by in orof ).

   Synonyms: penurious, saving, frugal

2. lenient or merciful.

3. scanty; limited.

   Synonyms: sparse, meager

sparing

/ ˈspɛərɪŋ /

adjective

1. economical or frugal (with)

2. scanty; meagre

3. merciful or lenient

Other Word Forms

• sparingly adverb
• sparingness noun
• nonsparing adjective
• oversparing adjective
• oversparingness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of sparing¹

A Middle English word dating back to 1325–75; spare, -ing ²

Example Sentences

And Mr. Reeves’s, um, sparing approach to expressing emotion befits the play.

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Lawrence is sparing in his style, the image desaturated like a vintage photograph, locating this fable in an unspecified future.

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It’s also expedient and facile, sparing the party from looking inward and doing the truly hard work it faces.

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By reducing and delaying many of the governor’s proposed cuts, the budget continues a practice at the state Capitol of sparing state programs from immediate pain while avoiding taking on California’s long term budget woes.

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If the State Bar developed its own questions, it figured it could save money by sparing the expense of renting massive exam halls for all test takers.

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