Meaning & use
spartan living
Last updated
Meanings
phraseuncountable
A way of life that is simple, strict, and without comfort or luxury.
Grammar: Used as an uncountable noun phrase: say 'spartan living is hard', not 'a spartan living'.
Patterns
- spartan living conditions
- a life of spartan living
- spartan living arrangements
After years of spartan living in the mountains, he found city life overwhelming.
The monks are known for their spartan living and long hours of prayer.
Her spartan living meant a small room, a hard bed, and very few possessions.
phraseuncountable
The practice of spending as little as possible and owning very few things.
Grammar: Often used when talking about money and possessions rather than physical hardship.
Patterns
- adopt spartan living
- choose spartan living
They adopted spartan living to pay off their debts quickly.
Spartan living suited him; he disliked clutter and waste.
Common combinations
- a spartan lifestyle
- His spartan lifestyle impressed everyone at the office.
- spartan conditions
- The soldiers trained in spartan conditions with almost no equipment.
- a spartan existence
- For ten years she led a spartan existence in a one-room flat.
- deliberately spartan
- The room was deliberately spartan, with only a bed and a chair.
- spartan simplicity
- The beauty of the design lies in its spartan simplicity.
Synonyms and how they differ
- austere
- Austere describes the same plain, strict quality but is an adjective, so you say 'an austere life', not 'austere living'.
- frugal
- Frugal focuses on careful spending rather than on hardship or strictness.
- simple
- Simple is much milder and neutral; spartan living suggests deliberate hardship.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: spartan living or Spartan?
spartan living vs Spartan
With a capital letter it means a person or thing from Sparta; with a small letter it means plain and strict, as in 'spartan living'.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'spartan living' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Spartan living' means a simple, strict life without luxury, so buying only necessities fits. Option 0 contradicts the meaning, option 2 uses the phrase as a verb, and option 3 wrongly uses a plural verb with an uncountable phrase.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “spartan living”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.