# sparsely

**Pronunciation:** /ˈspɑːrsli/ · SPAR-sly

**Part of speech:** adverb

## Meaning

In a way that is spread out or distributed with great distance between things; thinly.

## Examples

- The artist sparsely decorated the walls with a few carefully chosen paintings.
- The forest floor was sparsely covered with fallen leaves.
- The town was sparsely inhabited, with houses located far from each other.

## Synonyms

- thinly — General term for lacking density.
- scantily — Suggests a lack of abundance, often with a hint of inadequacy.
- diffusely — Spread out over a wide area, without clear boundaries.
- widely — Can imply sparseness when referring to distribution, but also means broadly.

## Antonyms

- densely — Closely packed together; crowded.
- thickly — In a dense or crowded manner.
- abundantly — In large quantities; plentifully.

## Collocations

- sparsely populated — The rural area was sparsely populated, making it difficult to find services.
- sparsely decorated — The minimalist apartment was sparsely decorated, with only a few pieces of art.
- sparsely covered — The ground was sparsely covered with snow after the light snowfall.

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