sparsity

1 7.6

A small number or amount spread far apart

noun
/ˈspɑːr.sɪ.ti/

: escasez

Sher, along with others (e.g., Helge, 1981), suggested that the sparsity of population, combined with other characteristics such as insularity and poverty, created unique problems in the delivery of educational services, particularly specialized services such as special education and school psychological services.

Examples

The derivation of an inventory of global emissions is hampered by the sparsity of data on the metal contents of raw materials and by uncertainty in the global distribution of sources, especially in developing countries.

Academic text (1990)
Analysis of investigations aiming to classify or predict response variables in biomedical research is often challenging because of data sparsity generated by limited sample sizes and a moderate or very large number of predictors.

Academic text (2018)
The output is a function of the sparsity for different level of noise.
You'll notice the remarkable sparsity of craters.

Fiction book (2001)
To assist rural schools, the department's budget request seeks full funding for the sparsity categorical aid program to support about 130 districts that have small student populations and large geographic boundaries.

Blog text (27)
The analysis revealed a sparsity of resources in the rural areas that hindered development.
There was a noticeable sparsity of participants at the meeting, which affected the discussion.
The researcher noted the sparsity of historical records on the region during the 19th century.

Synonyms

paucity

vssparsity

Formal

7 8.6

A small amount of something that is not enough

is like scarcity but focuses more on thin distribution

sparseness

vssparsity

1 6.8

A small number or amount that is spread out

is the same idea but is the preferred headword here

low density

vssparsity

Specialized

1 3.7

A small amount of material in a space like foam or gas

uses general scarcity in count or spread instead of physical mass

spareness

vssparsity

1 8.1

A bare, simple style with very few details

is similar but this entry uses a different preferred term

thinness

vssparsity

1 4.3

Not being full or dense, like a small crowd and a small number of hairs

emphasizes low thickness rather than how items are scattered

meagerness

vssparsity

1 7.0

A very small amount of something that is not enough

stresses thin scatter and number rather than richness

scarceness

vssparsity

1 7.2

A small amount of something that people need

emphasizes scattered thinness rather than general shortage

leanness

vssparsity

1 4.4

A small amount of something that is not enough

suggests lack of material rather than how items are spaced

scantiness

vssparsity

8.8

A small amount of something that is not enough

highlights sparse distribution rather than mere insufficiency

fewness

vssparsity

9.9

A small number of people or things

is broader, covering thin distribution and low overall amount

Antonyms

abundance

91 3.3

A large amount of something, more than you need

plentifulness

1 3.5

A large amount of things or resources that is more than enough

How Sparse

sparsity

1 7.6

scattered

1 3.5

thinness

1 3.3

density

55 4.2

Surface Forms

sparsity singular

sparsities plural

Morphology

sparsity = sparse (transparent) = sparse + ity

Standard nominalization of the adjective 'sparse' with '-ity' yields 'the quality of being sparse', which is directly deducible.

Etymology

The word sparsity comes from an old Latin word spargere meaning 'to scatter'. Think of sparse or of sprinkling a few seeds across the ground — sparsity means there are few things or they are spread out thinly.