Spartan

[ spahr-tn ]
See synonyms for Spartan on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. Also Spar·tan·ic [spahr-tan-ik]. /spɑrˈtæn ɪk/. of or relating to Sparta or its people.

  2. (usually lowercase) suggestive of the ancient Spartans; sternly disciplined and rigorously simple, frugal, or austere.

  1. (usually lowercase) brave; undaunted.

noun
  1. a native or inhabitant of Sparta.

  2. a person of Spartan characteristics.

Origin of Spartan

1
1375–1425; late Middle English <Latin Spartānus, equivalent to Spart(a) Sparta (<Doric Greek Spártā) + -ānus-an

synonym study For Spartan

1. See austere.

Other words from Spartan

  • Spar·tan·ism, noun
  • Spar·tan·ly, Spar·tan·i·cal·ly, adverb
  • non-Spartan, adjective, noun

Words Nearby Spartan

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use Spartan in a sentence

  • And, though it was a shock, there was only one thing I thought of and that was what a little Spartan my sister was.

    The Wasted Generation | Owen Johnson
  • Spartan Rhea was from Missouri, and belonged to a family intensely Southern in their convictions.

  • With a Spartan-like resolve she at last put every letter and keepsake into the sacrificial flames.

    The White Shield | Myrtle Reed
  • The Spartan boy did not even make a grimace when the wolf bit him beneath his frock, and these were all Spartan boys.

    The Prime Minister | Anthony Trollope
  • That was not the true Gordon, but rather the grafting of a new character on the original stem of Spartan simplicity and heroism.

    The Life of Gordon, Volume I | Demetrius Charles Boulger

British Dictionary definitions for Spartan

Spartan

/ (ˈspɑːtən) /


adjective
  1. of or relating to Sparta or its citizens

  2. (sometimes not capital) very strict or austere: a Spartan upbringing

  1. (sometimes not capital) possessing courage and resolve

noun
  1. a citizen of Sparta

  2. (sometimes not capital) a disciplined or brave person

  1. a Canadian variety of eating apple

Derived forms of Spartan

  • Spartanism, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012