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

• scarce

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 budget office under Mayor Daniella Levine Cava approved requests from Rodriguez’s office to issue checks to A3 for CountryFest, despite sparse paperwork showing where the tax dollars would ultimately go once the foundation received the money. —Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2025

Short-term rentals in central Palma are tightly restricted by law, and Airbnbs are sparse outside the city. —Emilio Parra Doiztua, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025

Signs Its Time To Divide Perennials When flowers are smaller than normal, the plant develops a bald spot in the center of the crown, and bottom leaves are sparse, the plant probably needs to be divided. —Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 15 Oct. 2025

Set first to a sparse guitar, Estrada’s silvery voice soars over a sweeping string arrangement. —Cat Cardenas, Rolling Stone, 13 Oct. 2025

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

Rhymes for sparse

• arse
• carse
• farce
• marse
• parse

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