Skip to main content

sparsenessthe quality of being thinly scattered or distributed; having few and widely spaced elements

Part of speech: NOUN

Definition: the quality of being thinly scattered or distributed; having few and widely spaced elements

Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈspɛərsnəs/

Example Sentences

  • The sparseness of his hair made him look older than his actual age.
  • The sparseness of good restaurants in this town is truly depressing.
  • My wallet shows a concerning sparseness of cash after yesterday's shopping spree.

sparseness

NOUN

[/ˈspɛərsnəs/]

the quality of being thinly scattered or distributed; having few and widely spaced elements

The sparseness of trees on the tundra makes each one feel precious.
💡 Concept

The sparseness of trees on the tundra makes each one feel precious.

Ness searches sparse field - sparseness means widely scattered elements
🧠 Mnemonic

Ness searches sparse field - sparseness means widely scattered elements

In the sparseness of light, darkness meets harshness!
🎵 Rhyme

In the sparseness of light, darkness meets harshness!

Got the picture? Now let's practice.

🎤Pronunciation

🇺🇸 US/ˈspɛərsnəs/
🇬🇧 UK/ˈspɛəsnəs/

🌳Etymology

Rootsparse
Suffix--ness

Origin

From Latin 'sparsus', meaning 'scattered' or 'spread out', which comes from the verb 'spargere' (to scatter or sprinkle). The word developed to describe things that are thinly distributed, like seeds scattered sparsely across a field.

Breakdown

sparse (from Latin 'sparsus' meaning scattered) + -ness (noun suffix indicating a state or quality)

🎵Rhyme

harshnessdarkness
harshness
darkness

🔗Collocations

population sparseness
data sparseness
vegetation sparseness
sparseness of information
hair sparseness
extreme sparseness

📝Examples

The sparseness of his hair made him look older than his actual age.

The sparseness of good restaurants in this town is truly depressing.

😄 Fun example

My wallet shows a concerning sparseness of cash after yesterday's shopping spree.

😄 Fun example

The sparseness of emoji usage in his texts made me wonder if he was angry.

📚Related Words

Synonyms

scarcityraritypaucitythinnessmeagerness

Antonyms

abundancedensitythickness

Related

sparsescattereddispersedsporadic

Want to master 19,000+ words?

Sign up free for flashcards & quizzes.