meager vs sparse

meager

adj
  • Of a set: such that, considered as a subset of a (usually larger) topological space, it is in a precise sense small or negligible. 

  • Poor, deficient or inferior in amount, quality or extent 

  • Having little flesh; lean; thin. 

  • Dry and harsh to the touch (e.g., as chalk). 

verb
  • To make lean. 

sparse

adj
  • Not dense; meager; scanty 

  • Having few nonzero elements 

  • Having widely spaced intervals. 

How often have the words meager and sparse occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )