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
- scatteredly adverb
- scatteredness noun
- unscattered adjective
- well-scattered adjective
Etymology
Origin of 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.
And scattered through the crowd, wearing their identifying hats and T-shirts, were hundreds of veterans.
From Slate • Apr. 1, 2026
Still, the exact origin of modern apes, which include all living species and their last common ancestor, remains uncertain because fossils from this time are rare, scattered, and often difficult to interpret.
From Science Daily • Mar. 27, 2026
On the bridge: shopping bags, a pair of flip-flops, stray clothes scattered at one end, and graffiti everywhere.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026
Outside the capital there are elections in the West Midlands, the North West, as well as other areas scattered across England.
From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026
Little lopsided houses were scattered willy-nilly, and the only big building was the mill, which stood on the edge of a forest.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
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.
