sparse

[spahrs] /spɑrs/

adjective, sparser, sparsest.

thinly scattered or distributed:

a sparse population.

not thick or dense; thin:

sparse hair.

scanty; meager.

Origin

1715-25; < Latin sparsus, past participle of spargere to scatter, sparge

Related forms

sparsely, adverb

sparseness, sparsity

[spahr-si-tee] /ˈspɑr sɪ ti/ (Show IPA), noun

unsparse, adjective

unsparsely, adverb

unsparseness, noun

Synonyms

1–3. See scanty.

Antonyms

1–3. abundant.

Examples from the web for sparse

True, the text was a bit sparse, but the numerous pop-ups and side panels kept me well entertained.
Skeletal evidence of possible interbreeding is sparse, contentious and inconclusive.
These attributes make them durable and dependable even in sparse mountainous terrain.
But evacuation centers are sparse, and not everyone has access to high ground.
The vegetation is sparse, and cattle and people dominate.
Factors that once constrained settlement-sparse water and remoteness, for example-no longer apply.
We place patterns on the data, no matter how sparse, in order to make some sense to it.
Keeping them constantly on their toes, with sparse moments for rest through their whole working lives.
With sparse and brackish water it helps to have an efficient way of removing salts and minerals.
Summer showers account for much of the region's sparse precipitation.

British Dictionary definitions for sparse

sparse

/spɑːs/

adjective

scattered or scanty; not dense

Derived Forms

sparsely, adverb
sparseness, sparsity, noun

Word Origin

C18: from Latin sparsus, from spargere to scatter

Word Origin and History for sparse

adj.

1727, from Latin sparsus "scattered," past participle of spargere "to scatter, spread," from PIE root *(s)pregh- "to jerk, scatter" (cf. Sanskrit parjanya- "rain, rain god," Avestan fra-sparega "branch, twig," literally "that which is jerked off a tree," Old Norse freknur "freckles," Swedish dialectal sprygg "brisk, active," Lithuanian sprogti "shoot, bud," Old Irish arg "a drop").

sparse in Technology

A sparse matrix (or vector, or array) is one in which most of the elements are zero. If storage space is more important than access speed, it may be preferable to store a sparse matrix as a list of (index, value) pairs or use some kind of hash scheme or associative memory.
(1995-01-16)