Spartan
Americanadjective
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of or relating to Sparta or its citizens
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(sometimes not capital) very strict or austere
a Spartan upbringing
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(sometimes not capital) possessing courage and resolve
noun
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a citizen of Sparta
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(sometimes not capital) a disciplined or brave person
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a Canadian variety of eating apple
Synonym Usage
See austere.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of Spartan
1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin Spartānus, equivalent to Spart ( a ) Sparta (< Doric Greek Spártā ) + -ānus -an
Explanation
A spartan existence is kind of like being a monk. Your room is bare, you live simply and eat sparingly, and your sheets are probably scratchy. In ancient Greece, there were two great city states: Athens and Sparta. Athens had the artists, the good food, the great parties. Sparta had the warriors — the guys who went to bed early and drilled all day. They lived in bare rooms and didn’t get sick days or time off. A spartan life is a life of discipline and self-denial. Some people like it like that. Go figure.
Vocabulary lists containing spartan
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Prisoner B-3087
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Spartan Chemical warns that inappropriate exposure can cause the types of effects detainees experienced.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
“Supply concerns remain under the microscope, with the conflict continuing to drag on despite improved traffic through the Strait of Hormuz,” says Peter Cardillo of Spartan Capital Securities in a note.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
"If people are willing to pay that price and invest for the future, that's a good sign for the market," said Peter Cardillo of Spartan Capital Securities.
From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026
The tale of Athenian overreach is better known today than its Spartan counterpart, largely because Thucydides, one of antiquity’s finest historians, captured it in his account of the Peloponnesian War, which began in 431 B.C.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 25, 2026
Major de Coverley, a Spartan in adversity, did not flinch once throughout the whole hideous ordeal.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
