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Definition of sparsity

sparsity

/ˈspɑːr.sə.ti/
spar · si · ty
Adverb:sparsely
•
Plural:sparsities
•
Adjective:sparse
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sparsity Lexical Profile

sparsity Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

The state or quality of being thinly dispersed, scattered, or in short supply; a scarcity or lack of density.

Example

"The sparsity of vegetation in the high desert makes it difficult for large herbivores to survive."

2

In mathematics, statistics, and computer science, the property of a matrix, vector, or dataset in which most of the elements or parameters have a value of zero or are missing.

Example

"By exploiting the sparsity of the network weights, the engineers significantly reduced the memory required to run the machine learning model."

Synonyms
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Antonyms
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• Rhymes for sparsity

• Nearby Words

sparse
sparsely
sparseness
sparsity
spartan
spartium
spasm

Word Origin & Etymology

Coined in the early 19th century from the adjective 'sparse' (from Latin 'sparsus', past participle of 'spargere', meaning 'to scatter or strew') combined with the noun-forming suffix '-ity'.

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Sparsity. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/sparsity
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