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 of sparse

• 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

SpaceX's Starlink network, which is approaching 9,500 active satellites, provides access to broadband internet in areas around the world where connectively is otherwise sparse or nonexistent. —Robert Z. Pearlman, Space.com, 4 Jan. 2026

As legacy data center regions like Virginia get saturated with facilities, the frontier regions such as West Texas are going be more attractive, Glover said, with easier regulatory environments and more sparse populations. —Jordan Blum, Fortune, 2 Jan. 2026

Crowds for Spartans home games are usually sparse, although SDSU has typically brought a strong contingent of fans. —Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Dec. 2025

Both my mom and dad's sides have fine, soft, textured hair, extending to their sparse eyebrows and lashes. —Jailynn Taylor, InStyle, 30 Dec. 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