scattered
Americanadjective
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distributed or occurring at widely spaced and usually irregular intervals.
scattered villages; scattered showers.
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dispersed; disorganized.
scattered forces.
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distracted or disorganized.
scattered thoughts.
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Meteorology. (of clouds) covering up to one-half of the sky.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of scattered
Explanation
When things are scattered, they’re spread out all over the place. If the forecast calls for scattered showers, it’ll rain here and there. Items lying at random intervals and at some distance from each other can be described as scattered. Your birthday cake might be scattered with sprinkles, and the floor of your little sister's room might be scattered with Lego blocks. Another meaning of scattered is "messy" or "disordered" — you can describe yourself as scattered if you're feeling disorganized and confused. The word scatter is probably related to shatter, "break into pieces," from a Middle English root.
Vocabulary lists containing scattered
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
For more than a century, neuroscientists have studied the human brain much as early cartographers mapped unknown lands: piecing together a vast landscape from scattered observations.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
The first is that the wedding itself, scattered with Easter eggs like a mirror ball and a 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle, was engineered expressly to troll the media.
From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026
Temperatures are expected to fall over the weekend due to a potential return of some moisture to the area, with scattered showers possible Saturday into Sunday, Fielding said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
"So they landed the helicopter, and half of the grass was sitting in front of the Oval Office front door. The rest of it was scattered all over," he said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 6, 2026
We were greeted by a chorus of barks and meows from the patients scattered throughout the waiting area.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
