sparse

Present in only small amounts or numbers.

• The report gives sparse details.
• His hair became sparse as he grew older.
• Evidence for the theory remains sparse.

Similar words: scanty, limited, meagre

Opposites: abundant, plentiful

Common phrases: sparse evidence, sparse details, sparse population

Spread out with large empty spaces between individual things.

• Sparse trees dotted the plain.
• The island has sparse settlements along its coast.
• We walked through sparse woodland with plenty of open ground.

Similar words: scattered, widely spaced

Opposites: dense

Common phrases: sparse vegetation, sparse trees, sparse settlements

Containing mostly zeros, with only a few values that are not zero.

• The program stores a sparse matrix.
• Sparse arrays can save a lot of memory.
• This algorithm works well when the input matrix is sparse.

Opposites: dense

Common phrases: sparse matrix, sparse array, sparse data