scattered
Americanadjective
-
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.
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.
The fox and the badger ducked into the soft shadows of Fernlight, where beetles hummed and critters scattered through the undergrowth.
From Literature
![]()
Michael Gittins travelled on the final service with his wife Lucy as they scattered her late father's ashes in the river.
From BBC
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
We often do, despite being scattered coast to coast.
On the bridge: shopping bags, a pair of flip-flops, stray clothes scattered at one end, and graffiti everywhere.
From Los Angeles Times
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.