spare 1 of 3

1
as in to scant
to use or give out in stingy amounts I'll have a banana split—and don't spare the whipped cream

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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spare

2 of 3

adjective

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spare

3 of 3

noun

as in backup
an interchangeable part or piece of equipment that is kept on hand for replacement of an original we promptly replaced the burnt-out lightbulb with a spare

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective spare contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of spare are gaunt, lanky, lank, lean, rawboned, scrawny, and skinny. While all these words mean "thin because of an absence of excess flesh," spare suggests leanness from abstemious living or constant exercise.

the gymnast's spare figure

When could gaunt be used to replace spare?

The words gaunt and spare are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, gaunt implies marked thinness or emaciation as from overwork or suffering.

a prisoner's gaunt face

When is lank a more appropriate choice than spare?

The meanings of lank and spare largely overlap; however, lank implies tallness as well as leanness.

the lank legs of the heron

When is it sensible to use lanky instead of spare?

In some situations, the words lanky and spare are roughly equivalent. However, lanky suggests awkwardness and loose-jointedness as well as thinness.

a lanky youth, all arms and legs

When can lean be used instead of spare?

The synonyms lean and spare are sometimes interchangeable, but lean stresses lack of fat and of curving contours.

a lean racehorse

When would rawboned be a good substitute for spare?

The words rawboned and spare can be used in similar contexts, but rawboned suggests a large ungainly build without implying undernourishment.

a rawboned farmer

How do scrawny and skinny relate to one another, in the sense of spare?

Both scrawny and skinny imply an extreme leanness that suggests deficient strength and vitality.

a scrawny chicken
skinny street urchins

Examples 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 spare
Verb
Best sports bras An actually supportive sports bra can make high-impact activities like runs more enjoyable (and spare you from back pain down the line). Sara Coughlin, SELF, 22 Jan. 2025 Please spare us the lengthy print analyses and TV segments on the Political Status of Greenland or the History of the Canal or how many congressional seats Canada would get. Al Pessin, Sun Sentinel, 21 Jan. 2025
Adjective
But Glaser’s instinct is the opposite: To go quick and spare, allow jokes to go over heads as long as there’s a promise of another one coming soon after. Jason Zinoman, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2025 Seconds Market, a clothing swap service, has launched a form connecting donors who want to send spare clothes directly to someone who was impacted by the fires. Caelyn Pender, The Mercury News, 12 Jan. 2025
Noun
All were replicated for Mescal’s version as the team crafted six replica breastplates: two for Mescal, one for his stunt double, one for a riding double, one for underwater scenes, and a spare. Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 24 Nov. 2024 Use the yellow pair for dishwashing, the orange pair to clean the bathroom, the blue pair to wash the car, and the pink pair as a spare. Hyphensocial Contributors, Rolling Stone, 17 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for spare 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spare
Verb
  • By scanting this complexity, Remnick leaves readers with a less than totally satisfying depiction of Obama's encounter with the world of black Chicago.
    Walter Russell Mead, Foreign Affairs, 1 July 2010
  • Trump captured attention his first time around, in part, by talking about issues that other candidates scanted: the threat of China, chaos at the southern border.
    NR Editors, National Review, 22 Dec. 2023
Verb
  • That’s the kind of obscure situation Red Note has saved people out of.
    Yaling Jiang, TIME, 16 Jan. 2025
  • The program allows for state income tax exemption for five years, offering investors in big projects to save up to hundreds of thousands of dollars a year per project in property tax savings.
    Alexandra Berzon, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • If so desired, extra time can be spent on the Lions’ 52-point explosion in a Week 8 victory over the Tennessee Titans.
    Dan Wiederer, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2025
  • But extra layers were not needed for FLOTUS, since the swearing-in ceremony was moved indoors to the U.S. Capitol’s Rotunda.
    Rosemary Feitelberg, WWD, 20 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Bass has employed a more careful and conciliatory tone.
    Julia Wick, Los Angeles Times, 25 Jan. 2025
  • Leopold cautioned immigrants of any religious, national or ethnic background to be careful traveling.
    Pioneer Press, Chicago Tribune, 25 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Mother Nature removes this thin coating of cement/lime paste over time, exposing the sand color to your eyes.
    Tim Carter, Hartford Courant, 25 Jan. 2025
  • The Verge’s Allison Johnson joins David and Nilay to talk about the vibes at Unpacked, where the thinner S25 Edge inspired raucous enthusiasm, and where Samsung tried to make the case that AI will make your phone better even if there’s not much new hardware to speak of.
    David Pierce, The Verge, 24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Harmonizing data within an organization minimizes redundancies, improves data governance, serves as a single source of truth, and makes better use of scarce resources.
    Jan Gilg, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025
  • The fighting has displaced hundreds of thousands, forcing many into overcrowded camps with scarce resources.
    Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • He was traded to Denver last offseason and spent 2024 as a backup after competing for the starting job in the offseason.
    Zac Jackson, The Athletic, 20 Jan. 2025
  • Currently, undersized center Trayce Jackson-Davis is the team's starter at the position, while Kevon Looney serves as his backup.
    Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • He’s also conserved water by changing his planting patterns, leaving the debris from the prior crop on the soil to limit evaporation.
    Daniel Desrochers, Kansas City Star, 16 Jan. 2025
  • Scarce magazines of Tomahawk missiles can be conserved for the highest-value targets while masses of Barracudas can tackle everything else, and so on.
    David Hambling, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near spare

Cite this Entry

“Spare.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spare. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

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