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 The songs were sparse and built around acoustic guitar, with a vividly confessional lyricism. Hanif Abdurraqib, The New Yorker, 27 Oct. 2024 Trump has also been sparse on details about transportation — his website doesn’t address the issue except to decry Chinese ownership. Vox Staff, Vox, 24 Oct. 2024 However, the content of these mini-games is sparse: the 2D side scroller for example, can be completed by simply standing against a wall and shooting continuously. G Kirilloff, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024 The stage is sparse; props and set pieces replaced with live projections from a steady cam. Kathryn Vandervalk, EW.com, 21 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for sparse 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sparse.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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 5 Nov. 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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