Synonyms of scattered

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

• random
• arbitrary
• stray
• erratic
• sporadic
• haphazard
• lucky
• aimless
• accidental
• contingent
• casual
• desultory
• odd
• hit-or-miss
• irregular
• chance
• slapdash
• helter-skelter
• catch-as-catch-can
• incidental
• disorganized
• spot
• inadvertent
• unconsidered
• scattershot
• shotgun
• unsystematic
• directionless
• unplanned
• unintended
• indiscriminate
• unintentional
• fortuitous
• unpremeditated
• purposeless
• undirected
• disorderly
• undiscriminating
• fluky
• chancy
• objectless
• unselective

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• systematic
• organized
• regular
• orderly
• fixed
• stable
• constant
• continuous
• regular
• steady
• arranged
• established
• even
• methodical
• systematized
• set
• nonrandom
• aware
• managed
• planned
• conscious
• ordered
• deliberate
• thoughtful
• purposeful
• orchestrated
• willful

scattered

2 of 2

verb

past tense of scatter

1

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

• dispersed
• dissipated
• isolated
• disbanded
• dispelled
• squandered
• segregated
• separated
• diffused
• cleared out
• disseminated
• split (up)
• parted
• spread
• broke up
• diverged

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• collected
• gathered
• concentrated
• assembled
• clustered
• congregated
• ingathered
• united
• unified
• agglutinated
• conglomerated

2

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

• sprayed
• sprinkled
• dotted
• peppered
• strewed
• spotted
• bestrewed
• dusted
• sowed
• speckled
• drizzled
• flecked
• studded
• blanketed
• dappled
• spattered
• stippled
• bespattered

3

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

• dispersed
• dissipated
• disappeared
• faded
• dissolved
• disassembled
• divided
• evaporated
• separated
• spilled
• melted
• disbanded
• diverged
• forked
• fled
• went (away)
• branched (out)
• cleared
• broke up
• evanesced

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• gathered
• met
• congregated

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of scattered

Adjective

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

Friday, a weakening ridge and an approaching front will allow scattered showers and thunderstorms to develop. — Lauren Bostwick, CBS News, 9 June 2026

Share a draft, then ask a focused question so collaborators offer helpful edits rather than scattered opinions. — Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 May 2026

March 21 – April 19 One direct message could turn scattered effort into actual teamwork. — Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 26 May 2026

Midwest The Midwest will see some scattered rain on Friday. — Kyle David, ABC News, 20 May 2026

The conjecture says that even within enormous, scattered and chaotic assemblages of points existing across innumerable dimensions, simple, orderly shapes will inevitably crop up. — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 19 May 2026

Verb

Most of the rooms are spread around the Colonial-style main house, and there are several cottage-style buildings scattered across the lawn, too, creating an idyllic, village-like feel. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 July 2026

And guards, clustered in small groups, were scattered about the room. — Literary Hub, 27 July 2026

If the email speaks to one business issue and the LinkedIn message says something completely different, the campaign starts to feel scattered. — Simon C. Lee, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026

Brown-Forman’s controlling shareholders are a sprawling clan with nearly 150 family members scattered around the world. — Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 26 July 2026

Unlike their more useful counterparts, silicon-29 and germanium-73 possess nuclear spin—a tiny magnetic property that acts like countless microscopic magnets scattered throughout the material. — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 26 July 2026

Generations later, Palestinian refugees scattered through the region and around the world still keep the keys. — Jane Arraf, NPR, 26 July 2026

One of Portsmouth’s unique challenges is just how much ‘furniture’ is scattered around the race course. — Andrew Rice, New York Times, 26 July 2026

Photos from the site of the accident show debris and clothing scattered around. — Blanca Begert, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2026