scattershot

adjective

Definition of scattershotnext
as in haphazard

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of scattershot All this scattershot world-building and world-visiting allows for some colorfully diverting vignettes, in which production designer Alexandra Walker and costume designer Ann Maskrey get to show off their giddy, gaudy wares. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 22 Aug. 2026 Investors have been seeking details on Zuckerberg’s AI strategy, which has been scattershot and left Meta behind OpenAI, Anthropic and Google in the market for top models and services. — Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 30 July 2026 As seemingly scattershot as the box-office yields for these films can be, don’t expect live-action remakes of classic animation to turn into a pumpkin anytime soon. — Chris Lee, Vulture, 14 July 2026 The two-bedroom duplex, Apartment 305-306, the aforementioned art studio, still has scattershot paint splatters on the floor and a library in the second room. — Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 1 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for scattershot
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scattershot
  1. haphazard
  2. random
  3. scattered
  4. incidental
  5. accidental
  6. inadvertent
  7. sporadic
  8. aimless
Adjective
  • Violent crime, once almost unknown on the island, is rising sharply—another sign of the state’s haphazard retreat.
    — Will Freeman, Foreign Affairs, 17 Sep. 2026
  • With no clear guidance, haphazard and improvised efforts by companies to clean the homes left 6 in 10 residences still unsafe.
    — Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of haphazard
Adjective
  • Belting out random songs while delivering high-level physical comedy and acting takes skill.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Furthermore, the whiskers are in front, preventing the drone from detecting sideways obstacles like random jagged branches in a forest.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of random
Adjective
  • That rainfall was predicted to arrive in the form of light, scattered showers.
    — Austin Turner, CBS News, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Security is thin and scattered downtown, and that morning was no different.
    — DP Opinion, Denver Post, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of scattered
Adjective
  • The statute, Government Code section 8314, carries civil penalties, and violations beyond incidental use can be prosecuted as felonies.
    — Joe Rubin, Sacbee.com, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The insects also develop in quince and are reported to be incidental in plums, pears, tart cherries, and certain other members of the rose family.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of incidental
Adjective
  • Related Stories This leads to… his accidental death by chainsaw.
    — Marta Balaga, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026
  • An accidental double touch on a penalty kick might mean the loss of a football game.
    — Wendy S. Walters, Architectural Digest, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of accidental
Adjective
  • The bear-resistant container was invented to arrest the inadvertent cultivation of problem bears.
    — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Stewart recalls the whirlwind five-game series that included the star breaking teammate Sue Bird’s nose with an inadvertent elbow and game-altering clutch baskets by Taurasi.
    — Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of inadvertent
Adjective
  • Only some regional operators have continued sporadic services, generally using smaller feeder vessels.
    — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026
  • That said, devolving tropical storms can pack a punch with sporadic gusts and showers as the energy that was formerly bundled in the storm’s center releases outward.
    — Sean Macaday, Sacbee.com, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of sporadic
Adjective
  • The film deals with an urban legend that a Nevada reservoir is a time portal, and the aimless group of teenage best friends who become obsessed with going back in history.
    — Brent Lang, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Youth sports, once the redoubt of aimless childhood play, have become hopelessly commercialized.
    — Nora Kenney Mittiga, Washington Post, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of aimless

Browse Nearby Words

scatters
scattershot
scatting
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Cite this Entry

“Scattershot.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scattershot. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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