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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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

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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
During a walk through the park, CBS News Philadelphia also found scattered screws, metal fragments and broken glass in parts of the lawn. — Eva Andersen, CBS News, 30 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 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
Theo Von is tearing through a bag of ballpark peanuts with shells scattered across the lap of his khaki cargo pants. — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 17 Aug. 2026 Data gets scattered across enterprise resource planning systems, spreadsheets, email and so on. — Andrew Zhyvolovych, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026 While helicopters scattered miniature red roses over the crowd, priests in white robes celebrated Mass and the popular Mazowsze folk ensemble sang and danced to traditional Polish music. — ABC News, 15 Aug. 2026 Following the funeral, his remains were cremated and scattered on a California hillside. — Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 15 Aug. 2026 Reds starter Brady Singer scattered eight hits, allowing three runs with two walks and four strikeouts over six innings. — August 15, Miami Herald, 15 Aug. 2026 There are multiple gift shops scattered throughout the museum, as each special exhibition tends to have a dedicated one with products curated around its artist or theme. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Aug. 2026 The shift from removals scattered on many smaller lots to mass clearings on a handful of properties is backed up by permitting data, the assessment notes. — Drew Kann, AJC.com, 10 Aug. 2026 Storm coverage will increase, with scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms expected. — Callie Zanandrie, CBS News, 8 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scattered
  1. random
  2. dispersed
  3. sprayed
  4. dissipated
  5. arbitrary
  6. sprinkled
  7. disappeared
  8. stray
Adjective
  • The show’s first two episodes feature scenes of shadowboxing, random bouts of wrestling and friendly teasing between players and coaches in between the hustle and bustle of an NFL training camp.
    — PJ Green, Kansas City Star, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Made by stacking general-purpose dynamic random access memory, HBM is the highest bandwidth memory capable of rapid data access that helps AI processors execute tasks.
    — Katie Tarasov, CNBC, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of random
Verb
  • When knowledge is dispersed and conditions change rapidly, routing every decision upward creates delay and turns potential collaborators into internal competitors.
    — Steve Denning, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Use the endowment income to keep a core faculty that would provide dispersed, online liberal arts education.
    — Jim Nowlan, Chicago Tribune, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of dispersed
Verb
  • There, sprinklers sprayed water across the track ensuring that our route, a coned course with tight, tricky curves and acceleration alleys, would challenge me at every turn.
    — Scotty Reiss, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The seats are being shaken, water and scents are being sprayed.
    — Wisdom Iheanyichukwu, Vanity Fair, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of sprayed
Verb
  • Talks to acquire Dylan Cease dissipated during the deadline’s final hours, so Houston relied on Spencer Arrighetti, Cristian Javier and Luis Garcia — three pitchers coming back from lengthy absences — to strengthen a top-heavy rotation.
    — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Shower off your plants every couple of days until the smoke has dissipated.
    — Better Homes & Gardens, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of dissipated
Adjective
  • Its attempts to do so, most notably by interweaving elements of 1939’s The Wizard of Oz — including a CGI lion voiced by Colman Domingo — are heavy-handed acts of fan service that feel arbitrary.
    — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Indeed, the representatives of that Government assert that the people of Hawaii are unfit for popular government and frankly avow that they can be best ruled by arbitrary or despotic power.
    — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of arbitrary
Verb
  • Elarms-Orr has been sprinkled into first-team time throughout open practices.
    — Joe Buscaglia, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Warren Buffett went long in his annual letters to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders—often 10,000-plus words, deep on the year’s lessons and the company’s results, sprinkled with folksy wisdom.
    — Phil Wahba, Fortune, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of sprinkled
Verb
  • The Red Sox scored first and took two leads in the game, but both disappeared quickly.
    — Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Police said that around that time Stine disappeared, there were reports of blocks of concrete being removed from the home by the ex-boyfriend’s father.
    — Eileen Murphy, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of disappeared
Adjective
  • The shelter is still accepting stray animals, Cannon said, but due to space limitations, they’re limited in their ability to accept owner surrenders.
    — Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2026
  • The Transport Workers Union, which represents some 150 carriage horse workers, said the mention of stray voltage in the upcoming lawsuit is a sign that the carriage horse industry may not be responsible for Mahajan’s death.
    — Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of stray

Browse Nearby Words

scatterbrains
scattered
scattering
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Cite this Entry

“Scattered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scattered. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of scattered for Spanish Speakers

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