sparse

/spɑːs/ (bre, ipa) · /spɑːrs/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈspärs/ (ame, mw)

sparse — 形容詞

  • sparsepositive
  • sparsercomparative
  • sparsestsuperlative

1. existing in very small amounts, usually with a lot of space between the individu

1.形容詞B2
釋義

稀疏的

數量少且分佈鬆散

existing in very small amounts, usually with a lot of space between the individual parts

例句

After the wildfire, only sparse patches of grass remained on the hillside.

野火過後，山坡上只留下稀疏的草地。

attributive use: sparse + noun (patches)

Sofia noticed that her grandmother's hair had become thin and sparse over the years.

Sofia 注意到祖母的頭髮這些年來變得又薄又稀疏。

predicative use after 'become' with paired adjective 'thin'

同義詞
  • thin

    more general and common; emphasizes lack of density (thin hair, thin soup)

  • meager

    suggests the amount is disappointingly small or not enough (a meager meal)

  • scanty

    implies barely enough for the purpose, often about clothing or resources

  • scattered

    focuses on being spread out irregularly rather than being few in number

反義詞
  • dense

    closely packed together with little space between elements

  • abundant

    existing in large amounts; much more than enough

  • thick

    with parts that are very close together, like thick hair or a thick forest

文法句型

sparse + noun

be + sparse

remain + sparse

用法筆記

Can be used both before a noun (a sparse crowd) and after a linking verb (the crowd was sparse). The opposite is dense or thick. For uncountable nouns like 'information', 'sparse' suggests there is very little available.

常見錯誤

❌The room was sparsely with only a chair.
✅The room was sparse, with only a chair inside.
💡After linking verbs (be, become, remain), use the adjective sparse, not the adverb sparsely.
❌There was a sparse forest with many trees close together.
✅There was a sparse forest with wide gaps between the trees.
💡Sparse implies wide spaces, not just small numbers.