sparse
adjective/spɑːs/
/spɑːrs/
(comparative sparser, superlative sparsest)
- only present in small amounts or numbers and often spread over a large area
- the sparse population of the islands
- Vegetation becomes sparse higher up the mountains.
- The information available on the subject is sparse.
Oxford Collocations DictionarySparse is used with these nouns:- attendance
- population
- vegetation
- …
Word Originearly 18th cent. (used to describe writing in the sense ‘widely spaced’): from Latin sparsus, past participle of spargere ‘scatter’.Want to learn more?
Find out which words work together and produce more natural sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app.
Check pronunciation:
sparse