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
show current usage.
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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
Bestreviews,
Mercury News,
6 July 2026
His father was my father’s close friend, and their friendship had remained a source of solace for us across the geographies that their work had scattered us across.
—
Mahsa Alimardani,
Time,
6 July 2026
Behavior reports, graduation requirements, student feedback, and engagement measures are often scattered across multiple platforms.
—
Malana Vantyler,
USA Today,
6 July 2026
For example, in 2023, Hurricane Idalia scattered individuals north to 17 states, including Kansas, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania.
—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
6 July 2026
The threat of showers and thunderstorms will continue into Tuesday, although rainfall should become more scattered.
—
Baltimore Sun Staff,
Baltimore Sun,
6 July 2026
A couple of weeks later, Queen’s ashes will be scattered in Vermont.
—
Lisa Lockwood,
Footwear News,
6 July 2026
Photos shared by the fire marshal showed seats inside the boat scattered and ripped apart, though the outside of the vessel remained intact.
—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
5 July 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
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
The set of three decorative signs can be hung together or scattered about the bathroom for a unique aesthetic.
—
Bestreviews,
Mercury News,
6 July 2026
His father was my father’s close friend, and their friendship had remained a source of solace for us across the geographies that their work had scattered us across.
—
Mahsa Alimardani,
Time,
6 July 2026
Behavior reports, graduation requirements, student feedback, and engagement measures are often scattered across multiple platforms.
—
Malana Vantyler,
USA Today,
6 July 2026
For example, in 2023, Hurricane Idalia scattered individuals north to 17 states, including Kansas, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania.
—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
6 July 2026
The threat of showers and thunderstorms will continue into Tuesday, although rainfall should become more scattered.
—
Baltimore Sun Staff,
Baltimore Sun,
6 July 2026
A couple of weeks later, Queen’s ashes will be scattered in Vermont.
—
Lisa Lockwood,
Footwear News,
6 July 2026
Photos shared by the fire marshal showed seats inside the boat scattered and ripped apart, though the outside of the vessel remained intact.
—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
5 July 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
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
-
On Saturday, volunteers sprayed cooling water on crowds in the summer heat.
-
Attendants, some on the ladders of fire trucks, sprayed misted water across the crowds to cool them in the heat.
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
-
Every state taxes alcoholic beverages, though the tax treatment of certain alcoholic beverages may appear arbitrary.
-
The war period saw its own moments of threats to rights, such as suspending habeas corpus, the legal mechanism to prevent arbitrary detention.
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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