smattering

noun

smat·​ter·​ing ˈsma-tə-riŋ 

1

: superficial piecemeal knowledge

a smattering of carpentry, house painting, bricklaying

—Alva Johnston

2

: a small scattered number or amount

a smattering of spectators

Synonyms

• handful
• couple
• few

Examples of smattering in a Sentence

She only knows a smattering of German.

a smattering of guests at the art exhibit

Recent Examples on the Web

Anesthetists, midwives and other health care workers picketed outside Kaiser Permanente’s hospital in Roseville, Tuesday morning, joining a smattering of union chapters in California, Oregon and Hawaii in a five-day strike. —Sacbee.com, 14 Oct. 2025

The comments drew a smattering of applause. —Yamiche Alcindor, NBC news, 14 Oct. 2025

When the game ended seconds earlier, there was a smattering of boos among the fans still around. —Seth Emerson, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025

Paul Murphy, the Compass agent with the listing, who specializes in Brooklyn brownstones, has sold about 150 of them, including a smattering of Queen Annes. —Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 7 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1538, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for smattering

• battering
• chattering
• clattering
• flattering
• pattering
• scattering
• shattering
• spattering
• backscattering
• unflattering

Kids Definition

smattering

noun

smat·​ter·​ing ˈsmat-ə-riŋ 

1

: a small amount of knowledge

a smattering of French

2

: a small scattered number