sparse
gb/spˈɑɹs/ us/spˈɑɹs/
B2
Inglés
~ 11100
Acepciones
0 acepciones
adjective
B2
property
1
Not dense; widely scattered
Having only a few things in a big space, so they are not close together.
Patrón de uso:
sparse [noun]
Error frecuente:
Learners sometimes use 'sparse' when they only mean 'small'. 'Sparse' usually means that there are not many things and they are spread out over space. For example, a 'small room' is not 'sparse', but a 'sparse forest' has few trees that are far apart.
Sinónimos
thin (Suggests something that is not thick or full, often used for hair, crowds, or vegetation; slightly more general than 'sparse'.)
|
scattered (Emphasizes being spread out in different places, without the idea of a regular pattern.)
Antónimos
dense (Describes many things close together in a small area, the opposite of widely spread out.)
|
thick (Suggests a large number or amount in a small space, often used for hair, forests, or crowds.)
Colocaciones
sparse population
|sparse vegetation
|sparse forest
|sparse hair
|sparse traffic
|sparse landscape
Temas
description
|nature
|society
|space
|core_vocabulary
Ejemplos
- The trees became sparse as we climbed higher up the mountain.
- In this part of the desert, vegetation is extremely sparse.
- His sparse hair was combed carefully across his head.
- Housing is sparse in the northern region, with long distances between villages.
- Streetlights were sparse, so the road was almost completely dark at night.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- The grass is sparse on the dry hill.
- There are only a few sparse houses along this road.
- Her hair is sparse on the top of her head.
- Trees are sparse near the top of the mountain.
- Shops are sparse in this small town.
adjective
B2
property
2
Small in amount or number
Very little in amount or number; not enough of something.
Patrón de uso:
sparse [noun]
Error frecuente:
Learners sometimes confuse 'sparse' with 'rare'. 'Sparse' usually describes quantity (there is not much of something) or distribution, while 'rare' often describes how often something happens. For example, 'sparse information' is correct, but we usually say 'rare events', not 'sparse events'.
Sinónimos
scarce (Focuses more on not having enough of something, especially something needed or wanted.)
|
meager (Suggests an amount that is very small and often disappointing or poor in quality.)
Antónimos
plentiful (Describes something that exists in large quantities, the opposite of a small or insufficient amount.)
|
abundant (Emphasizes having more than enough of something.)
Colocaciones
sparse attendance
|sparse evidence
|sparse details
|sparse data
|sparse information
|sparse resources
Temas
description
|work
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Ejemplos
- Attendance at the early morning meeting was sparse.
- The report was criticized for its sparse details.
- Funding for the project has been sparse this year.
- Information about the new policy remains sparse and unclear.
- Online reviews of the product are surprisingly sparse.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- The class had sparse attendance on Friday.
- The article gives only sparse information about the problem.
- Our budget is sparse, so we must be careful with money.
- The teacher was unhappy because questions from students were sparse.
- Details about his life before 2000 are sparse.
adjective
technical
C1
property
3
Having mostly zero or empty values
Used in math and computers for a matrix or list where most of the values are zero or empty.
Patrón de uso:
sparse [noun]
Error frecuente:
Learners sometimes think 'sparse' in technical texts only means 'small'. In computing and math, it specifically means that most positions in a structure are zero or empty, not just that there is a small amount of data overall.
Sinónimos
sparse-structured (Less common variant that also emphasizes the structure with many zeros or empty entries.)
Antónimos
dense (In technical contexts, describes a matrix or data structure where most elements are non-zero or filled.)
Colocaciones
sparse matrix
|sparse vector
|sparse array
|sparse representation
|sparse dataset
|sparse encoding
Temas
technology
|mathematics
|data_science
|science
Ejemplos
- Using a sparse matrix can significantly reduce memory usage for this problem.
- The algorithm is optimized for sparse data and performs poorly on dense datasets.
- We store the graph as a sparse adjacency matrix to save space.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- In this program, we use a sparse matrix to save memory.
- The data is very sparse, so most values are zero.
- Sparse vectors are common in machine learning models.
- A sparse array keeps only the non-zero values.
- This library has special tools for working with sparse data.
Gramática
Forma de diccionario
sparse
AFI
GB/spˈɑɹs/
US/spˈɑɹs/
Sílabas y acento
sparse (1 sílaba)
Stress on 1st syllable (sparse)
Formas de la palabra
Adjective
- Base: sparse
- Comparative: sparser
- Superlative: sparsest
Familia de palabras
Forms
sparser
adjective
sparsest
adjective
Core family
sparsely
adverb
Negative and opposite forms
dense
adjective B1
Advanced or less common
sparsity
noun
Expresiones
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