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View synonyms for sparse

sparse

[ spahrs ]

adjective

, spars·er, spars·est.
  1. thinly scattered or distributed:

    a sparse population.

    Antonyms: abundant

  2. not thick or dense; thin:

    sparse hair.

    Antonyms: abundant

  3. Antonyms: abundant



sparse

/ spɑːs /

adjective

  1. scattered or scanty; not dense
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Derived Forms

  • ˈsparsely, adverb
  • ˈsparseness, noun
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Other Words From

  • sparse·ly adverb
  • spar·si·ty [spahr, -si-tee], sparse·ness noun
  • un·sparse adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of sparse1

First recorded in 1715–25; from Latin sparsus, past participle of spargere “to scatter,” sparge
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Word History and Origins

Origin of sparse1

C18: from Latin sparsus, from spargere to scatter
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Synonym Study

See scanty.
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Example Sentences

Most neural circuits employ what’s called “sparse coding,” in that only a handful of neurons, when stimulated in a way that mimics natural firing, can artificially trigger visual or olfactory sensations.

At the time, it was growing clear that sales of the iPhone — Apple’s biggest money maker — were destined to slow down as innovations grew sparse and consumers kept their old devices for longer.

From Fortune

When this energy field eventually grows sparse, the cosmos starts to gently deflate.

The data, delivered via news release like that from numerous other companies rushing to show progress, had not been peer-reviewed and other details about the company’s DNA-based vaccine were sparse.

When food is distributed in sparse patches that can regenerate quickly and an animal has no sensory guidance to where the food is, Lévy walks are the mathematically optimal search strategy for blindly discovering a meal.

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