Sparse (adjective)

1. Not thick or dense; thinly scattered.
2. Not abundant or frequent.

Origin:

Late middle english: from latin sparsus, past participle of spargere "scatter, sprinkle".

Examples:

1. The population is sparse in this area.
2. The forest was sparse, with only a few trees.
3. The information provided was sparse and not helpful.
4. She had sparse hair on her head.
5. He sparsely decorated the room with a few paintings.