Spartan
adj, noun ·Common ·High school level
Definitions
- 1 A citizen of Sparta; a native or inhabitant of Sparta.
- 2 a resident of Sparta wordnet
- 3 A red apple cultivar from British Columbia, Canada.
- 1 Austere, frugal, characterized by self-denial.
"I went on the retreat to the monastery, thinking I would be sleeping in a spartan cell, only to discover a simple but comfortable bedroom."
- 2 Of or relating to Sparta or its citizens.
- 3 Resolute in the face of danger or adversity.
"The spartan legionaries vowed to fight to the death."
- 4 Alternative letter-case form of spartan. alt-of
- 5 Lacking in decoration and luxury.
"After ten years as a fashion designer in the rough-and-tumble Garment District, Eloise left New York for the spartan but serene life of a farmer's wife."
- 1 practicing great self-denial wordnet
- 2 unsparing and uncompromising in discipline or judgment wordnet
- 3 resolute in the face of pain or danger or adversity wordnet
- 4 of or relating to or characteristic of Sparta or its people wordnet
Example
More examples"When lo, before him in the wood appears / his mother, in a virgin's arms arrayed, / in form and habit of a Spartan maid, / or like Harpalyce, the pride of Thrace, / who tires swift steeds, and scours the woodland glade, / and outstrips rapid Hebrus in the race. / So fair the goddess seemed, apparelled for the chase."
Etymology
By analogy with the ancient Spartans, who famously possessed these qualities.
From Middle English Spartan, Spertan, from Latin Spartānus, from Sparta + -ānus, equivalent to Sparta + -an.
Related phrases
More for "spartan"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.