We have three spare rooms, none of which can be used.
Source: tatoeba (18335)
Spare
/spɛə(ɹ)/
Synonyms for "spare" (584 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (117)
abandonabjureabsolveabstainabstain fromabstemiousaccessoryadditionalaffordagentallowalternatealternativeamnestyanalogyancillaryangularanotheras a bonusascetic
Show 76 more words
austereauxiliaryavoidawardbackupbalancebaldbarebasicbearbestowbonusbonycadaverouscandidcannycarefulcasualcedechangechangelingcharychastecheeseparingcollateralcommoncommonplacecomparisonconserveconservedconservingcontributorycopycopyrightcounterfeitde tropdeliverdeputydirectdischargedisgorgedispensabledispensedispense fromdispense withdispose ofdividenddo withoutdonatedoubledropdrydulldummydumpdwarfeddwarfisheconomiceconomizingelementaryemaciatedendureequalequivalentersatzeschewessentialexceptexcessexchangeexculpateexcuseexemplifyexemptexiguousexonerate
Noun(14 words)
Verb(1 words)
dispense with
Strong matches (175)
expendableexpletiveextrafakefartherfill-inflatflat-chestedfleshlessfor lagniappeforbearforehandedforgiveforgoforsakeforswearfrankfreefreshfrugal
Show 135 more words
fundamentalfurtherganglingganglygauntgawkyget along withoutget rid ofghostghostwritergivegive absolutiongive awaygive dispensation fromgive quartergive upgrant amnesty togrant forgivenessgrant immunitygrant remissiongratuitousgratuityguardhaggardhave done withhave mercy uponhave pityheldheld backheld in reserveheld outholdhold aloof fromhold backhold offhomelyhomespunhomogeneousidleimitationimpoverishedin abeyancein additionin excessin handin reserveincidentalindivisibleirreduciblejejunekeepkeep alivekeep backkeep fromkeep in handkeep intactkeep inviolatekeep safekeep upkeptkiss good byekiss good-byelabor savinglabor-savinglagniappelanklankylay asidelay awaylay bylay inlay upleanlean-fleshedlean-lookingleave well enough aloneleftleftoverleisureleisuredlentenlet alonelet golet go bylet havelet offlet uplet up onlet well enough aloneliberatelimitedlithelocum tenensmaintainmake a sacrificemakeshiftmarginmatter-of-factmeagermeagremeanmeltmeremetaphormetonymymintmiserlymockmodestmoney savingmoney-savingmonolithicmoremore than enoughnarrownaturalneatneedlessnetnever touchnewnext best thingniggardlynonessentialnot destroynot endangernot expendnot touchnot usenot use upnot wasteoccasionaloddof a pieceoff
Adjective(9 words)
Noun(10 words)
Verb(1 words)
give up
Related words (292)
Noun(18 words)
openoriginalotherout-of-the-wayoutstandingoverover and aboveoverageovermeasureoverplusoverrunoversetoverstockoversupplypaltrypardonparsimoniouspart timepart withpart-time
Show 233 more words
pass uppatentpenny-wisepersonnelphonypinchpinch hitterplainplain spokenplain-speakingplain-spokenpleonasticpluspoorpourboirepreservepreservedprimalprimarypristineprolixprosaicprosingprosyprotectprovidentprovisionalproxyprudentprudentialpunypurepure and simpleput asideput byquitclaimrawbonedrecantredeemredundantrefrainrefrain fromregisterrelaxreleaserelentreliefrelieverelinquishremainderremainingremanentremiseremitrenderrender uprenouncereplacementrepresentativereprieverescuereservereservedreservesresignretainedretiredretractridringerrusticsacrificesalt awaysavesave the necessitysavedsavingscantscantyscotchscraggyscrapescrawnyscrewscrimpscrimpingscrimpysecond stringsecondarysemiretiredsevereshortshriveshunsidesignsimon puresimon-puresimplesimple-speakingsingleskeletalskimpskimpingskimpyskinnyslenderslightslimsmallsobersomething extraspare the pricespare timesparessparingsparsespartanspideryspindlingspindlystandstand aloofstand aloof fromstand-instarkstarvationstingystintstintedstopgapstoredstraightforwardstraitenedstuntedsubsubsistencesubstituentsubstitutesubstitutionsuccedaneumsupererogatorysuperfluoussupernumerarysupersedersupplantersupplementalsupplementarysupportsurplussurplusagesurrendersurrogatesurvivingsuspendedsustainswear offsymbolsynecdochetake pity ontautologictautologoustemporarytentativethawthinthin-belliedthin-fleshedthird stringthriftythrow uptidetime savingtime-savingtipto sparetokentwiggyulteriorunadornedunaffectedunappliedunbeatenuncalled foruncalled-forunclutteredunconsumedundergoundersizedunderstudyunderweightundifferencedundifferentiatedunemployedunessentialunexercisedunexpendedunhandleduniformunimaginativeunnecessaryunneededunnourishingunnutritiousunoccupiedunpoeticalunspentuntappeduntoucheduntroddenunusedunutilizedunvarnishedunwastefulupholdutilityutility playervacantvacateverbosevicarvicariousvice-presidentvice-regentwaivewaivedwateredwaterywell affordwirywithheldwithholdyield
Adjective(18 words)
plainplain proseredundantremaining resourcesscantysimple prosesupererogatorysuperfluoussupernumerarysupplementary feeding groundsurplussurplus resourcetidiesttrimunembellishedunornamentedunspent hourswindswept
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: abandon, abjure, absolve, abstain, abstain from.
- Sentence evidence is available for spare, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from moby, opengloss, derived_reverse, wordnet, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "spare".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "spare"
Keep "spare" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "spare" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "spare", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "spare" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
33 entriesShowing 16 of 33 words.
More specific
20 entriesadditional itembare minimumbonus componentcost savingefficient usefrugal approachlimited stockmeager supplyscarce resourcespare a minutespare a momentspare fundsspare lifespare materialsspare painspare part
Showing 16 of 20 words.
Collocations
12 entriesspare a minutespare a momentspare batteryspare capacityspare keyspare no effortspare no expensespare partsspare resourcesspare roomspare timespare tire
Inflections
5 entriesDerivations
5 entriessimilar
12 entriesTranslations
42 translations across 18 languages.
Ancient Greek
1 entries- φείδομαι verb (to show mercy)
Arabic
1 entries- رَحِمَ verb (to show mercy)
Armenian
1 entries- խնայել verb (to show mercy)
Bulgarian
2 entries- пощадявам verb (to show mercy)
- щадя verb (to show mercy)
Dutch
1 entries- sparen verb (to show mercy)
German
1 entries- sparen verb (to show mercy)
Gothic
1 entries- 𐍆𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽 verb (to show mercy)
Hungarian
2 entries- kímél verb (to show mercy)
- megkímél verb (to show mercy)
Icelandic
1 entries- þyrma verb (to show mercy)
Italian
1 entries- risparmiare verb (to show mercy)
Latin
2 entries- impercō verb (to show mercy)
- parcō verb (to show mercy)
Old Norse
1 entries- þyrma verb (to show mercy)
Polish
2 entries- oszczędzać verb (to show mercy)
- oszczędzić verb (to show mercy)
Russian
4 entries- ми́ловать verb (to show mercy)
- поми́ловать verb (to show mercy)
- пощади́ть verb (to show mercy)
- щади́ть verb (to show mercy)
Sanskrit
1 entries- मृडति verb (to show mercy)
Spanish
4 entries- adolecerse de verb (to show mercy)
- apiadar verb (to show mercy)
- apiadarse de verb (to show mercy)
- compadecer verb (to show mercy)
Swedish
1 entries- skona verb (to show mercy)
Turkish
1 entries- bağışlamak verb (to show mercy)
Sample sentences
44 total sentences available.
Can you spare me a few minutes of your valuable time?
Source: tatoeba (20157)
I have a spare key to my house hidden outside.
Source: tatoeba (22014)
We gathered all the books together and put them in the spare room.
Source: tatoeba (23212)
Showing 4 of 44 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "spare"?
Closest matches include abandon, abjure, absolve, abstain, abstain from.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "spare"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.