verb
definition
To scatter; to disperse.
adjective
definition
Having widely spaced intervals.
example
a sparse array, index, or matrix
definition
Not dense; meager; scanty
definition
Having few nonzero elements
Examples of sparse in a Sentence
The population of this region, however, is sparse, and its growth is slow.
It is a well-wooded tract, in many places stretching out in charming glades like an English park, but it has a very sparse population and little cultivated land.
The hills are inhabited by a very sparse population of Mhairs, an aboriginal race.
All over the Veluwe are heaths, scantily cultivated, with fields of rye and buckwheat, cattle of inferior quality, and sheep, and a sparse population.
Many districts are fertile, but some, particularly those in the south-eastern part of the province, do not produce sufficient grain for the requirements of the sparse population.
It will be seen that the population is sparse, less than 62 persons per square mile.
But the pure Laos are still distinguished by the high cheek-bones, small flat nose, oblique eyes, wide mouth, black lank hair, sparse beard, and yellow complexion of the Thai and other branches of the Mongol family.
The postal service is unavoidably limited and defective, owing to the rugged character of the country, its sparse population, and the large percentage of illiterates.
Sparse scrub timber, of little value except for posts, poles and rough beams and for fuel, occupies the region westward to approximately the longitude of the Pease river.
The beard is sparse, and, with the exception of the moustache, which is sometimes worn, especially in central Tibet, it is plucked out with tweezers.
Their eyebrows are sparse, or they have no brows at all.
All of these were originally salt-steppes, and, where the soil is still highly impregnated with salt, have only a sparse covering of shrubs, mostly members of the Salsolaceae, with thick, greyish green, often downy leaves.
The population is sparse, frequently nomadic and addicted to plunder; progress in the arts and habits of civilization is small.
Cumberland was originally a part of Rehoboth, and then of Attleborough, Massachusetts, and for many years was called, like other sparse settlements, the Gore or Attleborough Gore.
The results are as interesting from a morphological point of view (showing the subtle and gradual modifications of these organs in their various adaptations), as they are sparse in taxonomic value, far less satisfactory than are those of the hind-limb.
Every one recognizes now that the poverty and sparse population of Sweden unfitted her for such a tremendous destiny.
The population (35,000) on the shores of the lake is sparse, and the towns - Schlusselburg (5285 inhabitants in 1897); New Ladoga (4144); Kexholm (1325) and Serdobol - are small.
Petaline hairs, though sparse and scattered, present occasionally the same arrangement as those which occur on the leaves; thus, in Bombaceae they are stellate.
Even amongst savages there are few communities, and those but sparse, which subsist entirely upon what is directly provided by nature.
However, actual evidence of this is sparse to say the least.
It was originally intended that this should eventually be extended across the territory to Cowie Harbour (Sabuko Bay) on the east coast, but the extraordinary engineering difficulties which oppose themselves to such an extension, the sparse population of the territory, and the failure of the existing line to justify the expectations entertained by its designers, combine to render the prosecution of any such project highly improbable.
Toward the Arctic circle, the timber becomes, of course, sparse, low, gnarled and distorted.
Scarify to remove unwanted material, spike and top-dress, seed in sparse patches.
The coast district, composed of sand dunes, is succeeded by a plateau covered in part with sparse vegetation.
Destined chiefly for private use or for presents, their decoration was delicate rather than rich, the color chiefly employed being brown, or reddish brown, under the glaze, and the decoration over the glaze being sparse and chaste.
At the top of the menu you can find a category list, albeit one looking remarkably sparse at the moment.
If you're looking for something sparse and extremely low-key, you should have no problem finding something of that nature, either.
The lighting was sparse, which created an advantage for Jackson.
He moseyed to the kitchen to bolster his sparse lunch where he found Fred eating sauerkraut, a gift from a neighbor lady, directly from a jar.
This project involved optimal estimation of vehicle static weight using sparse noisy data from a small spatial array of pressure sensors.
The understorey is a sparse layer of elder, hawthorn with some regenerating cherry.
The trees became sparse and were replaced by tall, thick heather.
The first one is a structured improvisation articulating sparse elements into a cold, detached organism.
Ground survey at some of the linear monuments such as stone rows is comparatively sparse.
In fairness, the English literature on double jeopardy is relatively sparse.
Sadly, the literature on this topic is still somewhat sparse.
The Gospel accounts are fairly sparse - they were writing for people who knew what crucifixion meant.
Shopping facilities remain sparse yet should benefit from the further developments planned.
Passengers on her outer decks seemed sparse from what I could see - sensible people indeed!
London office space shrinks 18 July 2006 London office space is becoming increasingly sparse, according to new research by estate agent Frank Knight.
For sure it didn't look sparse in the marquees, in the Star bar with its excellent organic Wild Hare Ale.
Chances were sparse in a second half stalemate, with Barry unable to shake off the shackles despite forcing a couple of goalmouth scares.
Pets with white coats or areas of sparse hair may need sunblock.
In general, the correspondence becomes more voluminous as time goes on, with the earlier years being particularly sparse in their documentation.
Evangelical theology is being decimated by this teaching that seems so zealous " to discover how sparse the faith that justifies can be.
Pastoral communities are always scattered very thinly over large areas; agricultural populations may be almost equally sparse where advanced methods of agriculture and labour-saving machinery are employed; but where a frugal people are situated on a fertile and inexhaustible soil, such as the deltas and river plains of Egypt, India and China, an enormous population may be supported on a small area.
All these spaces contain a similar coagulable fluid with sparse corpuscles, and all are lined by ciliated cells.
Should Aspen be left alone to inhabit these sparse niches - the remote and craggy woodland refugia?
Full matrices store their all of their elements in a block of memory; sparse matrices keep a list of the non-zero elements.
What little rain does fall supports sparse, scrub vegetation.