The Oxford Thesaurus An A-Z Dictionary of Synonyms - sparseadj.

1) thin (on the ground) , few (and far between) , meagre, scanty, (widely) dispersed or scattered, spread out, spotty, in short supply, scarce: Tourists are sparse in Scotland in January. Sparse blooms appeared on the rose-bushes this year. 2) little, limited, meagre, scant, sparing, inappreciable, not much, insignificant: Sparse use was made of the new tennis court because of the rain.