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 But trees, green spaces, and buildings that could offer refuge from the sun are sparse, and that can increase dangerous heat stress on the body. Dorany Pineda, Fortune, 4 Mar. 2024 Reliable local reporting in many places is sparse or nonexistent. David Streitfeld, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2024 This inspired an album of thick, plodding instrumentals and distorted, distant vocals, with sparse lyrics that rely on haunting repetitions and revisitations. Hanif Abdurraqib, The New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2024 To make things worse, helpful information on how to fill out the FAFSA is sparse. Jason Anderson, Kansas City Star, 31 Jan. 2024 On the other end of the spectrum, with its rugged coral bluffs and sparse development, Cayman Brac offers an off-the-grid counterpoint. Shayne Benowitz, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024 At this point in the election, the competition among Republican contenders is looking sparse compared to primaries past. USA TODAY, 26 Jan. 2024 Balls of glass Even between 3.5 and 2.5 billion years ago, the rock record is sparse. Alka Tripathy-Lang, Ars Technica, 26 Jan. 2024 As the charging network for electric vehicles grew sparse in some regions, the driving once again became tense, Julie said. Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 16 Jan. 2024

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 19 Mar. 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

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