sparse

adjective

ˈspärs How to pronounce sparse (audio)
sparser; sparsest
Synonyms of sparsenext
: of few and scattered elements
especially : not thickly grown or settled
sparsely adverb
sparseness noun
sparsity
ˈspär-sə-tē How to pronounce sparse (audio)
-stē
noun

Synonyms

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The risk was getting waived and wallowing in the G League with sparse crowds, commercial travel between remote locales and a dog-eat-dog team culture for as little as $40,500. — Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 May 2025 Soto, meanwhile, received a smattering of boos from a sparse crowd, particularly after a seventh-inning groundout. — Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 28 May 2025 Juan Soto, meanwhile, went 0-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout and heard a smattering of boos from a sparse crowd after a seventh-inning groundout. — Peter Sblendorio, Hartford Courant, 28 May 2025 With sparse décor and secondhand wood furniture, the venue (a cafe by day) was about the size of an East Village living room, as Ms. Fisher put it. — Alex Williams, New York Times, 20 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for sparse

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

Rhymes for sparse

See All Rhymes for sparse

Browse Nearby Words

sparry limestone
sparse
Sparta
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sparse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sparse. Accessed 12 Jun. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

sparse

adjective
ˈspärs How to pronounce sparse (audio)
sparser; sparsest
: of few and scattered elements
especially : not thickly grown or settled
sparsely adverb
sparseness noun
sparsity
ˈspär-sət-ē How to pronounce sparse (audio)
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on sparse

Nglish: Translation of sparse for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Using Bullet Points ( • )

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Is 'Data' Singular or Plural?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

8 Words for the Wordy and Talking Too Much

How 'Namaste' Entered The English Language

10 Hella Good U.S. Regionalisms

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

More Words with Remarkable Origins
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

8 Words for the Wordy and Talking Too Much

How 'Namaste' Entered The English Language
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All