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
Michael Gittins travelled on the final service with his wife Lucy as they scattered her late father's ashes in the river.
From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026
We often do, despite being scattered coast to coast.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 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
I picked through the clothes scattered on the carpet, silently repeating Dad’s favorite phrase, It's all good.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
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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.