as in austere
providing only the essentials and nothing fancy or luxurious
accommodations on the windjammer are spartan but clean and comfortable nevertheless
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Recent Examples of spartan
Yes, rooms are small, but the furniture and layout maximizes space in smart not spartan ways.
—
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Jan. 2026
In one corner stood a spartan single bed, in the other a small woodstove.
—Michael Pollan, The Atlantic, 26 Jan. 2026
Frank unpacks with military precision and quickly makes the spartan space his own; neat but unfussy.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 25 Jan. 2026
On Thursday mornings, my high school’s upper grades gathered in our meetinghouse—a spartan, Italianate-style building whose wooden benches bore the etchings of a century and a half of antsy pencils and fingernails—and, for an hour, sat in near-total silence.
—Walden Green, Pitchfork, 22 Jan. 2026
Better is Danny Elfman’s spartan and fraught score, particularly the dyspeptic drums.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
Gottlieb believes the spartan ethos of improv made a big mark on his former housemate.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 18 Dec. 2025
Unlike those relatively spartan facilities, however, the Astrodome had cushioned seats for all patrons, instead of hard ones.
—John Seabrook, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
Made the short walk back down the hill, sat in the spartan dorm room that was my home for the next nine months.
—Sarah Chamberlain, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Jan. 2026
In one corner stood a spartan single bed, in the other a small woodstove.
—Michael Pollan, The Atlantic, 26 Jan. 2026
Frank unpacks with military precision and quickly makes the spartan space his own; neat but unfussy.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 25 Jan. 2026
On Thursday mornings, my high school’s upper grades gathered in our meetinghouse—a spartan, Italianate-style building whose wooden benches bore the etchings of a century and a half of antsy pencils and fingernails—and, for an hour, sat in near-total silence.
—Walden Green, Pitchfork, 22 Jan. 2026
Better is Danny Elfman’s spartan and fraught score, particularly the dyspeptic drums.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
Gottlieb believes the spartan ethos of improv made a big mark on his former housemate.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 18 Dec. 2025
Unlike those relatively spartan facilities, however, the Astrodome had cushioned seats for all patrons, instead of hard ones.
—John Seabrook, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
Made the short walk back down the hill, sat in the spartan dorm room that was my home for the next nine months.
—Sarah Chamberlain, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spartan
Adjective
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That extends to the roving, untethered movement of David Raedeker’s camera, capturing both the austere beauty and the overbuilt tackiness of the setting in bleachy, unrelenting sunlight, and to the film’s varied, agitated electro soundtrack from former A-Ha keyboardist Erik Ljunggren.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Smaller support requirements allow faster setup and sustainment, particularly in forward or austere locations.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Feltner’s routine was pretty simple.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
12 Feb. 2026
-
Crime 101 takes the same view of quid pro quo as the most basic form of American commerce and makes simple but brutal points about value and self-worth, where your car, its year, make and model, matters more than your resumé.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The no-frills check-in app didn’t top the charts because of brilliant engineering.—
Catherine Thorbecke,
Twin Cities,
31 Jan. 2026
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Dyche is known for robust, no-frills teams that can cause the odd upset but usually reach a ceiling of mid-table stability.—
Zak Garner-Purkis,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
This stark disparity is the product of a persistent atmospheric pattern.—
Andrea Thompson,
Scientific American,
9 Feb. 2026
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Advocates say the latter provides a more impactful solution, and the administration’s aversion to permanent housing shows a stark break from recent tactics to end homelessness.—
Madeline King,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spartan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spartan. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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