sparse

adjective

ˈspärs 

sparser; sparsest

: of few and scattered elements

especially : not thickly grown or settled

sparsely adverb

sparseness noun

sparsity

ˈspär-sə-tē 

-stē

noun

Synonyms

• exiguous
• hand-to-mouth
• light
• meager
• meagre
• niggardly
• poor
• scant
• scanty
• scarce
• skimp
• skimpy
• slender
• slim
• spare
• sparing
• stingy

Choose the Right Synonym for sparse

meager, scanty, scant, skimpy, spare, sparse mean falling short of what is normal, necessary, or desirable.

meager implies the absence of elements, qualities, or numbers necessary to a thing's richness, substance, or potency.

a meager portion of meat

scanty stresses insufficiency in amount, quantity, or extent.

supplies too scanty to last the winter

scant suggests a falling short of what is desired or desirable rather than of what is essential.

in January the daylight hours are scant

skimpy usually suggests niggardliness or penury as the cause of the deficiency.

tacky housing developments on skimpy lots

spare may suggest a slight falling short of adequacy or merely an absence of superfluity.

a spare, concise style of writing

sparse implies a thin scattering of units.

a sparse population

Examples of sparse in a Sentence

open land is sparse around here

Recent Examples on the Web

The shame was that the crowd watching on from the sidelines in Saudi was sparse. —Tim Ellis, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024

Enemy variety is sparse on the first few islands, and Mario and Luigi have a limited number of abilities to use in battle. —Josh Broadwell, Rolling Stone, 4 Nov. 2024

Although there are a few big resorts (including a Four Seasons, Andaz, and a soon-to-open Ritz Carlton Reserve), development is sparse, and 70 percent of the land is protected. —Denny Lee, Travel + Leisure, 2 Nov. 2024

The songs were sparse and built around acoustic guitar, with a vividly confessional lyricism. —Hanif Abdurraqib, The New Yorker, 27 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin sparsus spread out, from past participle of spargere to scatter — more at spark

First Known Use

1753, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

sparse

adjective

ˈspärs 

sparser; sparsest

: of few and scattered elements

especially : not thickly grown or settled

sparsely adverb

sparseness noun

sparsity

ˈspär-sət-ē 

noun