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

While the earlier collection exhibition felt scattershot and left one with only a hazy sense of what the museum represents, this display offers a penetrating overview in miniature.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026

But scattershot record-keeping has made precise estimates difficult.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 16, 2025

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

From Slate • Aug. 2, 2025

He’s not a scattershot but he’s not exact.

From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 2025

He’d reformed the Paris police, introducing professional standards to a scattershot operation.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day