1
as in preserved
to use or give out in stingy amounts
I'll have a banana split—and don't spare the whipped cream
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in saved
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spared
In terms of the other remaining survivors, Jules and Nell have been spared, despite their plans to divorce, presumably because Jules has come to believe that his wife is his true soulmate.
—
Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 27 Mar. 2026
Acreage needs could have spared most homes.
—CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026
Russian forces launched a drone attack in broad daylight Tuesday on the center of Lviv, a historic city in western Ukraine that had been spared much of the fighting that has devastated other parts of the country.
—Jane Lytvynenko, NBC news, 24 Mar. 2026
The kosher wine business may have been spared some of the worst of the downturn in part because its consumers are still catching up to trends that reshaped the broader market years ago.
—Asaf Elia-Shalev, Sun Sentinel, 23 Mar. 2026
So far, South Florida airports have been spared the worst.
—Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 23 Mar. 2026
There was a general sense among the public that the outbreak had died down and that the broader community had been spared.
—Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 23 Mar. 2026
North Texas hasn’t been spared.
—William Tong, Dallas Morning News, 20 Mar. 2026
While Israel attacked gas facilities in southern Iran on the second day of the 12-day war in June 2025, oil and gas infrastructure was largely spared during that earlier conflict.
—Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, The Conversation, 19 Mar. 2026
Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 27 Mar. 2026
Acreage needs could have spared most homes.
—CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026
Russian forces launched a drone attack in broad daylight Tuesday on the center of Lviv, a historic city in western Ukraine that had been spared much of the fighting that has devastated other parts of the country.
—Jane Lytvynenko, NBC news, 24 Mar. 2026
The kosher wine business may have been spared some of the worst of the downturn in part because its consumers are still catching up to trends that reshaped the broader market years ago.
—Asaf Elia-Shalev, Sun Sentinel, 23 Mar. 2026
So far, South Florida airports have been spared the worst.
—Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 23 Mar. 2026
There was a general sense among the public that the outbreak had died down and that the broader community had been spared.
—Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 23 Mar. 2026
North Texas hasn’t been spared.
—William Tong, Dallas Morning News, 20 Mar. 2026
While Israel attacked gas facilities in southern Iran on the second day of the 12-day war in June 2025, oil and gas infrastructure was largely spared during that earlier conflict.
—Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, The Conversation, 19 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spared
Verb
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Pritzker's office said hundreds of videos and firsthand accounts of the immigration crackdown already had been collected in October when the commission was launched and will be preserved for use in future legal proceedings.—
Todd Feurer,
CBS News,
4 Apr. 2026
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My visa was stamped at passport control but not my actual passport, so no official trace of the visit was preserved.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In another area, a mother and daughter, white with black spots, were saved from being hoarded and getting killed for meat.—
Sharon Chin,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
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According to the Northwestern Mutual survey, nearly three-quarters of Gen Z already have saved more than one year of income toward retirement.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Some myosin classes, such as I and II, are widely conserved across many organisms, whereas others are more specialized and restricted to particular lineages—for example, certain classes are found mainly in animals and others in plants.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
3 Apr. 2026
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At the end of the day, all the partners in the project share a desire to see the state's natural spaces conserved and made available for recreation by Arkansans and visitors, Andrews said.—
Grant Lancaster,
Arkansas Online,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spared.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spared. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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