adjective
sparse
spahs
adjective
1
Thinly spread out or scattered, with a lot of empty space in between.
"The desert had only sparse vegetation."
"Attendance at the meeting was sparse due to the storm."
How to Use Sparse
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThin, scattered, or not much of something spread over a large area.
Common mistake
Don't confuse with "scarce" — "sparse" describes something spread thinly over an area, while "scarce" describes something in short overall supply.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
sparse population
sparse vegetation
sparse crowd
Word Forms
sparser comparative, sparsed past tense, sparses singular, sparsest superlative
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The desert had only _____ vegetation.
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin sparsus, "scattered."