Sparing describes using only a little of something — and using little on purpose, because you are being careful with it. That last part is the heart of the word. A sparing cook is not a poor cook who has run out of salt; a sparing cook is choosing to use less because too much would spoil the dish.

The usual pattern is sparing with or sparing in: "be sparing with the chilli", "she was sparing in her praise". You can also put it straight in front of a noun — "his sparing use of adjectives", "a sparing application of the cream".

What is it really used for? Two areas, mostly. Physical things you can spend or spread — salt, water, paint, medicine, money. And things people give out: praise, criticism, detail, words themselves. That second use is very common and quite English: to say someone is sparing with praise is to say they hand it out rarely, so it means more when it comes.

The feeling of the word is usually mildly approving. Being sparing suggests restraint and good judgement, unlike stingy or mean, which say you are holding back when you should not. But it can tip: "sparing with the truth" is a polite, slightly amused way of saying someone is not being fully honest.

Register: somewhat formal, more written than spoken. In everyday conversation people say "don't use too much" or "go easy on the salt". You will meet sparing in recipes, instructions, reviews and careful writing. It is fairly uncommon in front of a noun and much more common in that be sparing with pattern — and, honestly, its adverb sparingly is far more frequent than the adjective itself.

Beware one thing: sparing also looks exactly like the -ing form of the verb spare ("sparing no expense", "sparing her feelings"). Same spelling, different job. The context tells you which you have.