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definitions

scattered

[skat-erd]
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR scattered ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

distributed or occurring at widely spaced and usually irregular intervals: scattered villages; scattered showers.
dispersed; disorganized: scattered forces.
distracted or disorganized: scattered thoughts.
Meteorology. (of clouds) covering up to one-half of the sky.Compare broken(def 5).

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RELATED WORDS

distributed, occasional, sporadic, isolated, intermittent, separated, rambling, separate, sowed, diffuse, disorganized, disseminated, sown, strewn, disorderly, messy, erratic, infrequent, irregular, sparse

Nearby words

  1. scatter shot,
  2. scatter-gun,
  3. scatteration,
  4. scatterbrain,
  5. scatterbrained,
  6. scatteredly,
  7. scattergood,
  8. scattering,
  9. scatteringly,
  10. scattershot

Origin of scattered

scatter + -ed2
Related formsscat·tered·ly, adverbscat·tered·ness, nounun·scat·tered, adjectivewell-scat·tered, adjective

scatter

[skat-er]

verb (used with object)

to throw loosely about; distribute at irregular intervals: to scatter seeds.
to separate and drive off in various directions; disperse: to scatter a crowd.
Physics.
  1. to refract or diffract (light or other electromagnetic radiation) irregularly so as to diffuse in many directions.
  2. (of a medium) to diffuse or deflect (light or other wave phenomena) by collisions between the wave and particles of the medium.

verb (used without object)

to separate and disperse; go in different directions.

noun

the act of scattering.
something that is scattered.

Origin of scatter

1125–75; Middle English scatere; compare Dutch schateren to burst out laughing
SYNONYMS FOR scatter
1. broadcast. See sprinkle. 2. Scatter, dispel, disperse, dissipate imply separating and driving something away so that its original form disappears. To scatter is to separate something tangible into parts at random, and drive these in different directions: The wind scattered leaves all over the lawn. To dispel is to drive away or scatter usually intangible things so that they vanish or cease to exist: Photographs of the race dispelled all doubts as to which horse won. To disperse is usually to cause a compact or organized tangible body to separate or scatter in different directions, to be reassembled if desired: Tear gas dispersed the mob. To dissipate is usually to scatter by dissolving or reducing to small atoms or parts that cannot be brought together again: He dissipated his money and his energy in useless activities.
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR scatter ON THESAURUS.COM
Related formsscat·ter·a·ble, adjectivescat·ter·er, nounscat·ter·ing·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for scattered

British Dictionary definitions for scattered

scatter

verb

(tr) to throw about in various directions; strew
to separate and move or cause to separate and move in various directions; disperse
to deviate or cause to deviate in many directions, as in the diffuse reflection or refraction of light

noun

the act of scattering
a substance or a number of objects scattered about
Derived Formsscatterable, adjectivescatterer, noun

Word Origin for scatter

C13: probably a variant of shatter
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for scattered

scatter

v.

mid-12c. (transitive), possibly a northern English variant of Middle English schateren (see shatter), reflecting Norse influence. Intransitive sense from early 15c. Related: Scattered; scattering. As a noun from 1640s.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for scattered

scatter

[skăt′ər]

v.

To cause to separate and go in different directions.
To separate and go in different directions; disperse.
To deflect radiation or particles.

n.

The act of scattering or the condition of being scattered.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.