SCATTERED Synonyms: 132 Similar and Opposite Words

scattered 1 of 2

adjective

as in random

lacking a definite plan, purpose, or pattern a hodgepodge of scattered ideas that didn't add up to a clear hypothesis

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

scattered

2 of 2

verb

past tense of scatter

as in dispersed

to cause (members of a group) to move widely apart the noise of the backfiring car scattered the pigeons

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in sprayed

to cover by or as if by scattering something over or on the hillside was scattered with boulders deposited by the last ice age

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in dissipated

to go off in different directions and cease to exist as a body or unified whole these drunken revelers will quickly scatter when the police arrive

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 scattered

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 The scattered pieces of the former storm will likely drift over the Caribbean and soak Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Hispaniola with a few inches of rain, some of which will reach Florida. — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 31 Aug. 2026 The right words can turn scattered details into a workable plan. — Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Aug. 2026 While scattered thunderstorms may provide temporary improvement in localized areas, smoke conditions are expected to remain variable over Lake Huron as winds shift. — Natalie Davies, Freep.com, 17 July 2026 The right conversation could turn scattered effort into a working plan. — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 5 July 2026 If your data is messy, scattered or stale, the AI output fails. — Sagi Eliyahu, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026 At Mariposa Market in Willits, grocery items, wine bottles and other merchandise tumbled from shelves, leaving aisles littered with broken glass and scattered products. — Sofia Williams, Sacbee.com, 24 June 2026

Verb

Lifeless bodies could be seen scattered around the streets after the attack. — Shayna Jacobs, NBC news, 7 Nov. 2026 Scheduling the interviews and photos for this article has taken nearly four months seemingly because all of these musicians are busy and scattered to the four winds. — Tim Greiving, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2026 All this gear is scattered on tabletops perched on the mountainside. — IEEE Spectrum, 5 Nov. 2026 But as a young girl, their mother had stayed up in the booley for a few weeks each summer along with her mother, and her aunts, and all the other womenfolk in other booleys scattered over the mountains because the men couldn't leave the sea. — ABC News, 5 Nov. 2026 The site was illegally excavated in the 1960s, the statues dismantled and scattered among various countries. — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 4 Nov. 2026 The community is now mostly scattered across Alaska, and some have relocated far from their ancestral lands. — Brittney Melton, NPR, 4 Nov. 2026 Managers have always worked from the first, because the second was too numerous and scattered to read. — Kai-Fu Lee, Time, 3 Nov. 2026 Eight bedrooms and 15 bathrooms are scattered throughout the residence. — Tori Latham, Robb Report, 3 Nov. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for scattered

Adjective

And that’s a random sample of years and all 32 teams involved.

— Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 3 Nov. 2026
Following the course of this ship right now is definitely random, but interesting.

— Brian Sullivan, CNBC, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of random

Verb

As the twentieth century dispersed Russia’s literati, some left this nostalgic concept behind, while others trailed its shadow with them into exile, burying themselves in the great Russian novels that had formed its foundation.

— Madeleine Wulfahrt, New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2026
The human beings are not freely dispersed around the central figure of God, in this panel, but ranked in strict tiers from the lowest unfortunates to the highest saints.

— Artforum, Artforum, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of dispersed

Verb

Also, these happen, on average, billions of light-years from us, so the energy is dissipated to far less than that of the beat of a bat’s wing on Earth.

— Phil Plait, Scientific American, 30 Oct. 2026
The Club previously exited our position in Alphabet in March last year, right before the stock went on a big run as numerous overhangs dissipated.

— Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of dissipated

Adjective

Federal prosecutors accuse Maduro and Flores of directing a campaign of political repression involving brutal interrogations, arbitrary detentions and the mistreatment of prisoners.

— Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2026
On October 9, 2026, a federal district court ruled that the policy exceeds the Justice Department's authority, is arbitrary and capricious, and violates federal law.

— Eric McDaniel, NPR, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of arbitrary

Verb

One late-October morning, in a large prep space hidden from view of the dining room, Hope the Mission senior director of food services Jason Moniz sprinkled salt onto oversized peanut butter cookies.

— Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2026
With its tender texture, it can be used as a base for salads, added to pasta, sprinkled over top of a pizza, or turned into pesto.

— Molly Allen, Southern Living, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of sprinkled

Verb

DuPont benefits in some ways from the AI boom (more on that shortly), but most of its exposure to the theme disappeared with the Qnity spin-off a year ago.

— Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 3 Nov. 2026
With quarterback Baker Mayfield going 0 for 3 passing, Tampa Bay beat the Atlanta Falcons, 16-0, producing one of the NFL’s strangest box scores in decades — and winning a game in a manner that had essentially disappeared from modern football.

— Francesca Ebel, Washington Post, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of disappeared

Adjective

Laika was a 3-year-old stray husky-spitz mix from the streets of Moscow, and she was recruited by the Soviet space program for her small size and calm temperament.

— Hanneke Weitering, Space.com, 3 Nov. 2026
In Kansas, Wichita Police said an after-party early Saturday resulted in four people shot, including one 36-year-old man hit in the face by a stray bullet while looking outside of his window, CNN affiliate KAKE reported.

— Eduardo Cuevas, CNN Money, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of stray

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scatterbrains

scattered

scattering

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Style

“Scattered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scattered. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of scattered

adjective

verb

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