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

In this part of the state, job prospects for someone graduating high school are pretty sparse. —Scott Neuman, NPR, 6 Dec. 2025

When time stops one hot summer day and the road out vanishes, not everyone is displeased with the changes, even when the sparse little woods turn into an impassable forest and the river brims with strange, seductive voices. —Literary Hub, 5 Dec. 2025

The sparse branches tilt down, with realistic-looking needles that give it a less structured look than traditional trees. —Shea Simmons, Southern Living, 4 Dec. 2025

The federal government’s e-bike regulations are sparse, and efforts to expand them have stalled, leaving states and even counties to fill the void with patchwork rules of their own. —Tribune News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 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