sparser; sparsest
: of few and scattered elements
especially : not thickly grown or settled
sparsely adverb
sparseness noun
sparsity noun
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Technology IPOs have been sparse since late 2021, when inflation and rising interest rates pushed investors out of riskier assets. Jordan Novet, CNBC, 12 Dec. 2024 And, once again, the region’s harsh climate and sparse daylight requires design elements that can improve the quality of day-to-day life. Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 12 Dec. 2024 Installing hundreds of towers to serve a sparse population, resulting in less than 1% utilization of the network's capacity, is economically unfeasible. Bejoy Pankajakshan, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024 Inside, authorities found three girls, aged 11 to 14, living in unventilated conditions with a makeshift toilet and sparse furniture. Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for sparse 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of sparse was in 1753

Dictionary Entries Near sparse

Cite this Entry

“Sparse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sparse. Accessed 25 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

sparse

adjective
sparser; sparsest
: of few and scattered elements
especially : not thickly grown or settled
sparsely adverb
sparseness noun
sparsity noun

More from Merriam-Webster on sparse

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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