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 sparse menu — four meats served as tacos, quesadillas, tostadas and mulitas — was painted on the wall. Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024 And now, some of the physical memorabilia that provided sparse decoration for the event’s venue has been preserved for an Ebay auction, where bids for it are already fetching almost $1,000. Issy Ronald, CNN, 13 Mar. 2024 Many aspects of the movie deflect the viewer’s attention, from the grayscale color palette to the sparse dialogue to the grating shakycam. Allaire Nuss, EW.com, 8 Mar. 2024 In October, Apollo released Live for Me, a sparse and raw EP that was, in a way, an exercise in further discomfort. Cat Cardenas, Vogue, 7 Mar. 2024 The track, a sparse ballad that details the downfall of a relationship from different perspectives, took home an award for best country duo/group performance at the 2024 Grammys. Ilana Kaplan, Peoplemag, 6 Mar. 2024 But unlike other big killers — diseases like cancer and HIV or dangers like automobile crashes and cigarettes — sparse federal money goes to studying or preventing it. Christine Spolar, NPR, 6 Mar. 2024 The sparse interiors are shot intimately as if an unseen character is watching. Callum McLennan, Variety, 6 Mar. 2024 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

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 29 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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