adjective
sparing
SPEH-uh-rihng
adjective
1
Careful and restrained, especially in the amount of something used.
"She was sparing with her praise, so his compliment meant a lot."
"Be sparing with the salt — the dish is already quite salty."
How to Use Sparing
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishUsing very little of something, on purpose — careful not to overdo it.
Common pairings
sparing use
be sparing with
Word Forms
more sparing comparative, sparings plural, most sparing superlative
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She was _____ with her praise, so his compliment meant a lot.