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
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of scattered
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
Greg Harutunian,
Chicago Tribune,
29 June 2026
The team had a map of patients who’d had allergic reactions to cetuximab—they were scattered across the Southeast, from Virginia to southern Missouri.
—
Burkhard Bilger,
New Yorker,
29 June 2026
Important details are often scattered across different systems, written in overly technical language and delivered in ways that don't match how employees actually work.
—
Sabra Sciolaro,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2026
The remainder of Team Black is scattered.
—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
29 June 2026
In the temple's crumbling courtyard, little remains… mostly empty pedestals scattered among the Sralao trees.
—
Anderson Cooper,
CBS News,
28 June 2026
Declared a World Heritage Site in 2023, the mounds are scattered across five different sites around Chillicothe, Ohio.
—
Joe Yogerst,
CNN Money,
27 June 2026
When the bullhorn blared and the stretching ended, more than 80 Falcons players clad in red and white scattered in different directions.
—
Daniel Flick,
AJC.com,
27 June 2026
Whether those nodes sit close together or are scattered throughout space has no significance.
—
Leila Sloman,
Quanta Magazine,
26 June 2026
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
Maps were also given to visitors to track down the 10 dragon eggs scattered throughout the downtown area for prizes.
—
Greg Harutunian,
Chicago Tribune,
29 June 2026
The team had a map of patients who’d had allergic reactions to cetuximab—they were scattered across the Southeast, from Virginia to southern Missouri.
—
Burkhard Bilger,
New Yorker,
29 June 2026
Important details are often scattered across different systems, written in overly technical language and delivered in ways that don't match how employees actually work.
—
Sabra Sciolaro,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2026
The remainder of Team Black is scattered.
—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
29 June 2026
In the temple's crumbling courtyard, little remains… mostly empty pedestals scattered among the Sralao trees.
—
Anderson Cooper,
CBS News,
28 June 2026
Declared a World Heritage Site in 2023, the mounds are scattered across five different sites around Chillicothe, Ohio.
—
Joe Yogerst,
CNN Money,
27 June 2026
When the bullhorn blared and the stretching ended, more than 80 Falcons players clad in red and white scattered in different directions.
—
Daniel Flick,
AJC.com,
27 June 2026
Whether those nodes sit close together or are scattered throughout space has no significance.
—
Leila Sloman,
Quanta Magazine,
26 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scattered
Adjective
-
Luka Dončić got traded at midnight on a random Saturday in February.
-
Pinned to their random assortment of hats were scrawled, handmade signs proclaiming liberty or death.
Verb
-
Employees are increasingly dispersed nationally and internationally, with ever greater demands for flexibility.
-
On the solstice, the first goal was to clear trash that had found its way onto the orchard, then form makeshift berms out of rocks dispersed around the space.
Verb
-
Police believe the woman sprayed the bear spray into the system after some sort of dispute.
-
Sandy Shannon, 62, a guest at the hotel, said a woman was sprayed on the fourth floor, with two housekeepers coming to her aid.
Verb
-
By the evening of June 28, most of the rain had dissipated, though search and rescue operations were ongoing in some parts of Kentucky.
-
For him, the pain was searing, but dissipated much more quickly.
Adjective
-
Hundreds of people have been detained and Serbia's police was accused of excessive force and arbitrary arrests.
-
Hundreds of people have been detained and Serbia’s police was accused of excessive force and arbitrary arrests.
Verb
-
Plant food is then sprinkled onto the root ball and the surrounding soil.
-
Sculptures and paintings by local artists are sprinkled throughout the 18 rooms, which are swathed in pastel shades like apricot and mint, reminiscent of the artwork and architecture in Emirdag’s other home in the South of France.
Verb
-
The news of the arrest caught the attention of the family of Amy McHale, a woman who was once married to Horsch’s father and disappeared nearly 10 years ago.
-
Yet under the Third Circuit’s rule, a taxpayer may remain vulnerable long after records have disappeared and witnesses are unavailable, if a preparer intentionally falsified a return.
Adjective
-
Researchers also measured static electric fields by observing how stray fields displaced the ion from its resting position.
-
It is famously located in a massive parking lot, and close to nothing other than a horse track that houses plenty of stray cats.
Cite this Entry
“Scattered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scattered. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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