scattershot

adjective

scat·ter·shot | \ ˈska-tər-ˌshät

How to pronounce scattershot (audio)

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Definition of scattershot

: broadly and often randomly inclusive : shotgun scattershot advice scattershot planning

Examples of scattershot in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Connecting a series of scattershot points, Greene suggested a bank controlled by the Rothschild family, who are Jewish, a utility company responsible for the fire and then-Gov. — Brian Slodysko, ajc, "A glance at Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's incendiary words," 4 Feb. 2021 Some states aren't waiting, but the process can be scattershot. — Lindsay Whitehurst, Star Tribune, "Calls to reopen classrooms grow as teachers get vaccinated," 13 Jan. 2021 The mailbag is weekly during football season but gets more infrequent during winter due to the scattershot nature of basketball schedules — when games are not called off, that is. — Chris Solari, Detroit Free Press, "Michigan State mailbag: When will Spartans play basketball again? Mel Tucker's biggest need," 23 Jan. 2021 That left each governmental body to its own devices on basic coronavirus measures, such as mask mandates, creating a scattershot approach to combating the disease. — cleveland, "With the state shirking vaccine planning to local governments, some are concerned if Ohio will be ready to ramp up shots," 10 Jan. 2021 This week’s green light issued by the Metropolitan Health District did nothing to change the scattershot differences in the pace and scale of school reopenings in Bexar County. — Express-news Staff, ExpressNews.com, "Timeline of coronavirus in San Antonio: October," 2 Nov. 2020 Some county health officials said schools and local governments are conducting strong contact tracing, others said those efforts are scattershot in their jurisdictions. — Jacob Carpenter, ExpressNews.com, "COVID spread remains minimal in Texas schools despite state surge," 7 Dec. 2020 But the scattershot approach to tackling teen pregnancy -- an issue before the pandemic hit -- has been criticized by campaign groups like Human Rights Watch. — Gabrielle Smith, CNN, "Forced out of school during the pandemic, now she's pregnant. She's one of millions of girls who won't return to the classroom," 24 Dec. 2020 Public health advisers and other administration officials were left scrambling - scattershot, and with little clear direction - to recoup time squandered. — Anchorage Daily News, "The inside story of how Trump’s denial, mismanagement and magical thinking led to the pandemic’s dark winter," 20 Dec. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'scattershot.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

21 Feb 2021

Cite this Entry

“Scattershot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scattershot. Accessed 3 Mar. 2021.

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