Meaning & use
Spartan
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A person from Sparta, the ancient Greek city-state famous for its strong army and strict way of life.
Grammar: Always capitalized when it names the people.
Patterns
- a Spartan soldier
Every young Spartan trained for war from childhood.
The Spartans and the Athenians fought a long war.
A Spartan was expected to speak briefly and plainly.
adjectivecomparable
Very plain and simple, with no comfort or decoration, or showing strong self-discipline.
Grammar: Often written lowercase: a spartan room. Usually before a noun.
Patterns
- a spartan room
- a spartan diet
The monk lived in a spartan cell with only a bed and a lamp.
She ate a spartan breakfast of dry toast and black tea.
Their spartan lifestyle left little room for luxuries.
adjectivebefore a noun
Relating to ancient Sparta or its people.
Grammar: Capitalized because it refers to a place.
Spartan law required boys to join the military school.
The museum displays a Spartan helmet from the fifth century BC.
Spartan society valued discipline above comfort.
Word forms
| plural | Spartans |
|---|
Common combinations
- spartan existence
- They led a spartan existence in a tiny cabin.
- spartan conditions
- The soldiers trained in spartan conditions.
- spartan furnishings
- The spartan furnishings made the flat feel cold.
- Spartan warrior
- A Spartan warrior carried a round shield.
- spartan meal
- A spartan meal of bread and olives kept them going.
Synonyms and how they differ
- austere
- Austere describes severe plainness or strictness and can be used for a manner or a look, while spartan stresses lack of comfort.
- frugal
- Frugal means careful with money, not necessarily uncomfortable, so it is milder than spartan.
- ascetic
- Ascetic suggests a deliberate, often religious, denial of pleasures, whereas spartan can simply describe bare conditions.
- bare
- Bare means empty or uncovered and does not suggest the hardship of spartan.
Opposites
Word family
- Sparta proper noun
- the ancient Greek city-state known for its military training
- Spartans noun
- the people of Sparta
- spartanly adverb
- in a very plain, disciplined way (rare)
- laconic adjective
- using very few words; the word comes from Laconia, the region of Sparta
Commonly confused: Spartan or Spartacus?
Spartan vs Spartacus
Spartacus was a gladiator who led a slave revolt against Rome. He was not a Spartan, and the name is only similar in sound.
Practice
The hotel room was ___: a narrow bed, a bare wall and one chair.
Choose one answer.
Spartan means very plain and lacking comfort, which matches the description. Opulent and gaudy mean rich or showy, and spacious is about size rather than simplicity.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Spartan”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.