sparsely

[spahrs-lee]

adverb

1. 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.

2. in a scanty or meager way.

   It was a large kitchen, but very sparsely equipped for cooking.

Other Word Forms

• unsparsely adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of sparsely¹

sparse ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

But these places are far from job centers, have little infrastructure and are sparsely populated, mostly by retirees and people with few financial resources.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Besides Concow and other sparsely populated unincorporated communities in Butte County, the fire wiped out the 26,000-person town of Paradise.

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In some parts of Russia, particularly in remote and sparsely connected places in the Far East, WhatsApp is much more than chatting with friends and colleagues.

Read more on BBC

Regarding evacuations, Napa County Sheriff Oscar Ortiz said Saturday that many evacuees were in “rural and so sparsely populated” areas and that “we hope to get those folks home as soon as possible.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The National Guard troops and Marines wound up sparsely deployed in Los Angeles.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• casually 
• delicately 
• easily 
• faintly www.thesaurus.com
• freely 
• gingerly 
• mildly 
• moderately 
• quietly 
• simply 
• slightly 
• softly 
• subtly 
• tenderly 
• thinly www.thesaurus.com