sparsely
Americanadverb
-
in a thinly distributed way; not thickly or densely.
Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is very sparsely populated, as more than 90% of it is forested.
-
in a scanty or meager way.
It was a large kitchen, but very sparsely equipped for cooking.
Other Word Forms
- unsparsely adverb
Etymology
Origin of sparsely
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In the sparsely populated Kuiper Belt, these distant bodies drift with relatively few collisions, allowing fragile structures to survive.
From Science Daily
In turn, that has helped create and sustain service-sector businesses and jobs too, especially to a previously sparsely populated city centre.
From BBC
"This will not break us," Rowe told AFP in his sparsely furnished church office.
From Barron's
Amdjarass, which is home to several nomadic peoples, is located in far northeast of Chad, a vast, sparsely populated region renowned for its dramatic rock formations and desert landscapes.
From Barron's
Greenland is sparsely populated but its location between North America and the Arctic makes it well placed for early warning systems in the event of missile attacks.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
