Synonyms of scattering

scattering 1 of 2

noun

ˈska-tə-riŋ 

1

as in dispersion

an act or process in which something scatters or is scattered

the scattering of the protesters suddenly turned violent and chaotic

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dispersion
• dispersal
• dissipation
• diffusion
• dissemination
• disbandment
• split
• breakup
• dissolution
• separation
• disunion

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• concentration
• collection
• assembly
• gathering

2

as in handful

a small number

a scattering of people in the mostly empty theater

Synonyms & Similar Words

• handful
• couple
• few
• scatter
• smattering
• sprinkling
• sprinkle
• smatter
• minority
• fragment
• grain
• atom
• molecule
• particle
• whit
• shred
• modicum
• jot
• iota
• crumb
• tittle
• scrap

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• many
• loads
• multitude
• thousands
• flock
• mountain
• army
• crowd
• most
• host
• horde
• majority
• legion
• excess
• abundance
• scads
• surplus
• oodles
• plenty
• gazillion
• zillion
• mass
• quantity
• pile
• jillion
• wealth
• heap
• profusion
• stack
• kazillion
• lot
• slew
• pot
• raft
• deal
• peck
• reams
• plenitude
• wad
• gobs
• much
• slather

scattering

2 of 2

verb

present participle of scatter

1

as in dispersing

to cause (members of a group) to move widely apart

the noise of the backfiring car scattered the pigeons

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dispersing
• dissipating
• dispelling
• isolating
• squandering
• segregating
• separating
• disbanding
• diffusing
• splitting (up)
• clearing out
• disseminating
• parting
• spreading
• diverging
• breaking up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• collecting
• gathering
• assembling
• concentrating
• clustering
• congregating
• ingathering
• agglutinating
• uniting
• unifying
• conglomerating

2

as in spraying

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

• spraying
• sprinkling
• dotting
• peppering
• strewing
• dusting
• sowing
• spotting
• bestrewing
• drizzling
• speckling
• flecking
• studding
• dappling
• blanketing
• spattering
• stippling
• bespattering

3

as in dissipating

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

• dispersing
• dissipating
• disappearing
• fading
• dissolving
• disassembling
• evaporating
• spilling
• dividing
• melting
• diverging
• separating
• disbanding
• forking
• fleeing
• branching (out)
• going (away)
• clearing
• breaking up
• evanescing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• gathering
• meeting
• congregating

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of scattering

Noun

And even outside the direct beam, the scattering of its photons through the atmosphere would create a still-bright smudge of light pollution in the surrounding night sky. — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 16 July 2026

The old supermarket-style, functional interiors are gone, and in their place are sleek architectural details, a scattering of midcentury modern furniture and colorful LED screens broadcasting the M&S seasonal campaigns. — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 13 July 2026

Verb

And the ocean nymphs try out this wonder on more plants, and are delighted that the same thing happens at its touch, and repeat it by scattering the seeds from the plants through the waves. — Jan Tumlir, Artforum, 5 Aug. 2026

Ultra-high-net-worth families increasingly use dynasty trusts to prevent wealth scattering across generations. — Michael Gold Cfp, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026