sparsesparse /spɑːs $ spɑːrs/ adjective 
his sparse brown hair rural areas with sparse populations—sparsely adverb: a sparsely populated area—sparseness noun [uncountable]
WORD ORIGINsparse
Origin:
1700-1800 Latin sparsus ‘spread out’, from the past participle of spargere ‘to scatter’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- sparse traffic
- He combed back his sparse hair.
- Information on the disease is sparse.
- Trees are sparse in this part of the world because of the continuous wind that blows across the plains.
- Agriculture in the south will suffer as underground water is exhausted and already sparse summer rain disappears.
- Details of Dixon's life are sparse and sometimes contradictory.
- Driven out from richer regions, all they now had were these vast but very sparse pastures.
- From our sparse apartment, a daily warmth could be made to exist.
- However, sunshine was a sparse commodity and we found the short, dark winter days of these latitudes very depressing at first.
- Reading from an empty area of a sparse file will return garbage.
- They can, therefore, exist quite happily in areas of sparse vegetation.
Longman Language Activatora small number of people or things
a small number of people, things, places etc: · Most of the trees were destroyed by the fire, but a few survived.a few people/days/things etc: · She's gone to stay with her father for a few days.· Can I borrow a few dollars until I get paid?· I invited a few friends around on Saturday night.a few of (=a small number from a larger group): · Sean left the gate open and a few of the cows got out.
formal a few people, things, places etc, especially when they are part of a much bigger number: · Hundreds of people begin the training programme, but only a small number complete it successfully.a small number of: · Only a small number of people still speak Gaelic.· The new system is being tested in a small number of schools.· A relatively small number of industrially advanced countries control the world economy.
a smaller number than you expected or wanted: · "Were there many people at the show?" "No, not many."not many people/places etc: · There weren't many people at the party, but we still had a good time.· Not many restaurants stay open after midnight.not many of: · I think I'm quite a good cook but not many of my friends agree with me.
spoken a small number of people or things: · "Do you have any Bob Dylan albums?" "Yes, one or two."one or two people/places/questions etc: · We've had one or two problems with the car but nothing serious.· There are one or two things I'd like to ask you about.one or two of: · I only know the names of one or two of the new students.
especially spoken two, or a small number: · "How many drinks did you have?" "Just a couple."a couple of: · A couple of kids were playing in the street.· I saw her a couple of days ago.
a very small number of people or things, especially when this number is disappointing or surprising: · We offer a gym for our employees but only a handful ever use it.a handful of: · Only a handful of artists in Britain can make a living from painting.· A handful of people stayed after the concert to help clear the chairs away.
a small group of people or things from within a larger group, usually forming much less than half of the larger group: a minority of: · Only a minority of union members voted in favour of continuing the strike.a small/tiny etc minority: · Joyce is among the tiny minority of arthritis sufferers who experience these symptoms.· Every year more than three hundred students enter this program but only a small minority will go on to become lawyers.
if something is sparse , there are only very small amounts of it, especially spread over a large area: · sparse traffic· Trees are sparse in this part of the world because of the continuous wind that blows across the plains.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY a sparsely populated areaCOLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB
existing only in small amounts: a sparsely populated area· Local reports from Bavaria, however, especially from rural areas, mentioned very sparse flagging.· Driven out from richer regions, all they now had were these vast but very sparse pastures.· After this, evidence about Anne Batten Cristall's life is very sparse.· Scholarly comment on this passage is very sparse.
NOUN· But with their sparse population they are scarcely worth the price of a campaign advertisement.· Its still sparse population seems shrunk, as it were, in such outsize garments.· Background: Montana, our fourth largest state but with a sparse population, is home to large herds of elk.
his sparse brown hair rural areas with sparse populations—sparsely adverb: a sparsely populated area—sparseness noun [uncountable]