sparse
adjective
ˈspärs 
sparser; sparsest
: of few and scattered elements
especially : not thickly grown or settled
sparsely adverb
sparseness noun
sparsity
ˈspär-sə-tē
noun -stē
Synonyms
- exiguous
- hand-to-mouth
- light
- meager
- meagre
- niggardly
- poor
- scant
- scanty
- scarce
- skimp
- skimpy
- slender
- slim
- spare
- sparing
- stingy
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
open land is sparse around here
Recent Examples on the Web While data on the vaccine most commonly used against monkeypox, smallpox vaccine Jynneos, is sparse, limited data from studies in the 1980s suggested that smallpox vaccines are only about 85% effective against monkeypox, Lewis said. 
Erin Prater, Fortune, 18 Aug. 2022 Studies that examined whether those anecdotes could be explained by science were sparse and small—which is not surprising, given the slow pace of research on menstruation within vaccine trials. Hannah Smothers, SELF, 1 Aug. 2022 As is typical for these Apple announcements, details were sparse. Talal Ansari, WSJ, 24 Aug. 2022 This helps the animal survive when food and fresh water are sparse. Richard Johnson, The Conversation, 22 Aug. 2022 This helps the animal survive when food and fresh water are sparse. The Conversation, oregonlive, 22 Aug. 2022 The dialogue is sparse, there's just so much there under the surface. Dan Snierson, EW.com, 16 Aug. 2022 As FiveThirtyEight has noted, public polling in the race has been sparse but favors Hageman. Brittany Shepherd, ABC News, 15 Aug. 2022 But since the start of the outbreak in the U.S. earlier this spring, messaging and outreach to at-risk groups has been inconsistent, and resources like vaccinations and treatment are still sparse. Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 12 Aug. 2022 See More
Erin Prater, Fortune, 18 Aug. 2022 Studies that examined whether those anecdotes could be explained by science were sparse and small—which is not surprising, given the slow pace of research on menstruation within vaccine trials. Hannah Smothers, SELF, 1 Aug. 2022 As is typical for these Apple announcements, details were sparse. Talal Ansari, WSJ, 24 Aug. 2022 This helps the animal survive when food and fresh water are sparse. Richard Johnson, The Conversation, 22 Aug. 2022 This helps the animal survive when food and fresh water are sparse. The Conversation, oregonlive, 22 Aug. 2022 The dialogue is sparse, there's just so much there under the surface. Dan Snierson, EW.com, 16 Aug. 2022 As FiveThirtyEight has noted, public polling in the race has been sparse but favors Hageman. Brittany Shepherd, ABC News, 15 Aug. 2022 But since the start of the outbreak in the U.S. earlier this spring, messaging and outreach to at-risk groups has been inconsistent, and resources like vaccinations and treatment are still sparse. Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 12 Aug. 2022 See More 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
Kids Definition
sparse
adjective
ˈspärs
sparser; sparsest
: not thickly grown or settled
a sparse beard
sparsity
noun
as in sparseness
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- sparseness
- scarcity
- spareness
- slenderness
- meagerness
- scantiness
- slimness
- stinginess
- scarceness
- deficiency
- poorness
- skimpiness
- minuteness
- inadequacy
- tininess
- scantness
- inadequateness
- smallness
- diminutiveness
- littleness
- petiteness
- puniness
- slightness
- fineness
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- bigness
- largeness
- greatness
- vastness
- abundance
- magnitude
- immensity
- grandness
- hugeness
- magnitude
- enormity
- extensiveness
- generosity
- enormousness
- extravagance
- adequacy
- sufficiency
- grossness
- liberality
- excessiveness
- extremeness
- healthiness
- prodigiousness
- copiousness
- ampleness
- stupendousness
- immenseness
- bountifulness
- mountainousness
- massiveness
- bulkiness
- heaviness
- weightiness
- voluminousness
- immoderacy
- heftiness