Spärlichen

Spärlichen is the inflected form of the German adjective spärlich, which means sparse, scant, or meager. It is used with plural nouns in cases where the adjective carries a determiner or appears in a fixed phrase, most notably in the dative and accusative plural after a determiner. For example: mit spärlichen Mitteln (dative plural) and die spärlichen Belege (accusative plural). In contexts without a determiner, the strong inflection yields forms such as spärliche Daten.

Usage and nuance: spärlich describes quantities, coverage, or presence that are insufficient or limited. It can apply to resources, data, evidence, vegetation, light, or population. The tone is neutral, signaling scarcity rather than value judgment, though it can carry evaluative overtones depending on context (for instance, urging more resources or better data).

Examples:

- Die Vorräte sind spärlich; wir müssen nachlieferungen organisieren.

- Mit spärlichen Mitteln konnte das Team das Projekt abschließen.

- Die spärlichen Belege reichen nicht aus, um eine Schlussfolgerung zu stützen.

- Die spärlichen Lichtverhältnisse machten das Fotografieren schwer.

Etymology and related terms: spärlich originates from older Germanic usage and is cognate with similar forms in related West Germanic languages. Related adjectives include knapp, dürftig, und karg; common antonyms are reichlich and üppig. See also spärlich, knapp, dürftig for broader context.