smattering

[smat-er-ing]

noun

1. a slight, superficial, or introductory knowledge of something.

   a smattering of Latin.

2. a small amount or number.

   She’s written a smattering of poetry.

adjective

1. slight or superficial.

smattering

/ ˈsmætərɪŋ /

noun

1. a slight or superficial knowledge

2. a small amount

Other Word Forms

• smatteringly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of smattering¹

First recorded in 1530–40; smatter + -ing ¹ ( def. ).

Example Sentences

The Thai-Cambodia conflict flared over a smattering of border temples, contested because of a vague territorial demarcation made by Cambodia's French colonial administrators in 1907.

Read more on Barron's

I worked a smattering of odd jobs—managing the front desk at the anthropology department and writing stories for the student newspaper—but the money I made wasn’t much.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Niamh Sprout wore a smattering of chunky silver rings, which complemented the long black nails she had dug into the parkway soil as Smart-McCabe did her plant demo.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Its perfect averageness makes it easy to dismiss, but it’s a painless, pleasant half-hour, with a smattering of genuine laughs.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

It’s an extremely low number, which has only been matched a smattering of times since the 1960s.

Read more on MarketWatch

Related Words

• modicum 
• smidgen