sparse

英 [spɑːs] 美 [spɑːrs]

adj.稀少的；稀疏的

TOEFL GRE GMAT SAT

◉Usage Examples

(1) This is a country of sparse population.

(2) Species that were once sparse started to carpet the plots.

(3) His pink scalp gleamed through his sparse hair.

(4) The sparse vegetation will only feed a small population of animals.

(1) 这是个人口稀少的小国。

(2) 曾经稀少的物种开始遍布草原。

(3) 他发红的头皮在稀疏的头发下泛微光。

(4) 稀疏的植物只能喂少量的动物族群。

◉Usage notes

Something that’s sparse is thin, not dense. If you’re looking for the perfect place to build a tree house, a sparse forest is probably not your best bet.

From the Latin sparsus, meaning “scattered,” we get the adjective sparse, which means “few and scattered.” Thinning hair is sparse, as is the population of an endangered species. Or a small and scattered crowd for an unpopular band. Synonyms include dispersed, infrequent, and scanty. Antonyms, on the other hand, include full, lush, and plentiful.

◉Collins

1. [ADJ-GRADED 能被表示程度的副词或介词词组修饰的形容词]稀少的；稀疏的 Something that is sparse is small in number or amount and spread out over an area.

Many slopes are rock fields with sparse vegetation...

许多山坡都是石头地，植被稀疏。

He was a tubby little man in his fifties, with sparse hair...

他50来岁，头发稀疏，身材矮胖。

Traffic was sparse on the highway.

公路上车流稀少。

sparsely

...the sparsely populated interior region, where there are few roads.

人口分散、公路稀少的内地