sparing

[spair-ing]

See more synonyms for sparing on Thesaurus.com

adjective

economical (often followed by in or of).
lenient or merciful.
scanty; limited.

Origin of sparing

Middle English word dating back to 1325–75; see origin at spare, -ing²

Related formsspar·ing·ly, adverbspar·ing·ness, nounnon·spar·ing, adjectiveo·ver·spar·ing, adjectiveo·ver·spar·ing·ly, adverbo·ver·spar·ing·ness, noun

Synonyms for sparing

See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.com

1. frugal, saving, penurious. 3. meager, sparse.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for sparingly

easily, delicately, casually, tenderly, moderately, gingerly, softly, simply, mildly, freely, quietly, slightly, sparsely, faintly, subtly, occasionally, intermittently, sporadically, rarely, sparingly

Examples from the Web for sparingly

Contemporary Examples of sparingly

Here and there, sparingly, one of the dolls might be purple or green: “Rainbow Piets,” they call them.
Dutch Try to Save Santa’s Slave
Nadette De Visser
December 2, 2014
Gradually and sparingly add water while stirring the tahini quickly with a fork.
An Israeli Independence Day Menu
Naama Shefi
May 10, 2011
Although I feed as sparingly as possible, their numbers continue to diminish.
The Extinction Parade: An Original Zombie Story by Max Brooks
Max Brooks
January 14, 2011

Historical Examples of sparingly

Not until I had learnt to do this was I given back my joys, and then sparingly.
The Golden Fountain
Lilian Staveley
This method is only sparingly permissible with an adequate textbook.
College Teaching
Paul Klapper
Pray let me have your judgment—not sparingly, but in all candour.
Charles Lever, His Life in His Letters, Vol. I (of II)
Edmund Downey
Even the writings of the living are sparingly admitted here.
The Continental Monthly, Vol. 6, No 3, September 1864
Various
Jewels are worn but sparingly by young women in their first season in society.
The Etiquette of To-day
Edith B. Ordway

British Dictionary definitions for sparingly

sparing

adjective

(sometimes foll by with or of) economical or frugal (with)
scanty; meagre
merciful or lenient

Derived Formssparingly, adverbsparingness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for sparingly

adv.

mid-15c., from present participle of spare (v.) + -ly (2).