scattershot

American  

[skat-er-shot] / ˈskæt ərˌʃɒt /

adjective

1. delivered over a wide area and at random; generalized and indiscriminate.

   a scattershot attack on the proposed program.

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scattershot British  

/ ˈskætəˌʃɒt /

adjective

1. random; haphazard

   their approach to conservation is scattershot and unscientific

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Etymology

Origin of scattershot

First recorded in 1960–65; adj. use of scatter shot

Explanation

Anything that's scattershot is very broad and disorganized. Your scattershot method of planting a garden involves sprinkling wildflower seeds randomly around the lawn, rather than digging a flower bed and preparing the soil. Scattershot comes from a shotgun that shoots small pellets in a wide range, rather than zeroing in on a specific target. It's used today for anything that takes that kind of haphazard, indiscriminate approach. A scattershot education might mean learning a little of this and that, instead delving deeply into one subject. And a scattershot response to a forest fire could be an ineffective attempt at quashing the flames here and there, rather than a deliberate, focused effort.

Example Sentences

McKenzie recommends a scattershot approach to airline stocks.

From Barron's • May 8, 2026

CEO Sam Altman has described this scattershot approach as “betting on a series of startups” inside his own company.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 21, 2026

Meanwhile, the scattershot green spaces across Los Angeles offer another opportunity.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 10, 2025

The research is scattershot simply because food studies are hard to do in an airtight way.

From Slate • Aug. 2, 2025

Taylor tried to lead the way, but many of the girls ran scattershot for the forbidding jungle, scrambling over brambles, scraping their tender flesh against the prickly trunks of the palms.

From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray