as in random
lacking a definite plan, purpose, or pattern
a hodgepodge of scattered ideas that didn't add up to a clear hypothesis
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in dispersed
to cause (members of a group) to move widely apart
the noise of the backfiring car scattered the pigeons
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sprayed
to cover by or as if by scattering something over or on
the hillside was scattered with boulders deposited by the last ice age
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in dissipated
to go off in different directions and cease to exist as a body or unified whole
these drunken revelers will quickly scatter when the police arrive
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of scattered
Maia Pandey, Journal Sentinel, 24 Dec. 2024
My family has scattered across the country.
—Megan Thielking, New York Times, 23 Dec. 2024
While there are plenty of no-name carbon copy trainers and NPCs scattered throughout Pokémon, the characters that are part of the story tend to be wildly varied, with no two major characters being all that alike.
—Oliver Brandt, Newsweek, 23 Dec. 2024
Blankets left on the floor, clothes scattered here and there, empty soju bottles rolling around in the corners.
—Lee Chang-Dong, The New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2024
Rooms & Suites There are 150 free-standing guest hale scattered across the 81-acre property, which is part of what makes this resort so special.
—Elizabeth Brownfield, Forbes, 21 Dec. 2024
There are also plenty of restrooms scattered around Petra, as well as several souvenir shops.
—Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 21 Dec. 2024
The rest of the yard is scattered with different animals adorned in wintery gear.
—Jordan Kellogg, The Enquirer, 21 Dec. 2024
Live jazz, blues, and world music are the focus of The Iron Fairies, an underground venue whose decor includes 10,000 butterflies swinging from the ceiling and thousands of small iron fairies scattered around the tables.
—Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 10 Dec. 2024
Verb
In the days since, many people have reported unsafe road conditions and lingering snow — along with uncollected leaf piles from fall leaf collection that were scattered back onto their yards by the snowplows, the council members said.
—Maia Pandey, Journal Sentinel, 24 Dec. 2024
My family has scattered across the country.
—Megan Thielking, New York Times, 23 Dec. 2024
While there are plenty of no-name carbon copy trainers and NPCs scattered throughout Pokémon, the characters that are part of the story tend to be wildly varied, with no two major characters being all that alike.
—Oliver Brandt, Newsweek, 23 Dec. 2024
Blankets left on the floor, clothes scattered here and there, empty soju bottles rolling around in the corners.
—Lee Chang-Dong, The New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2024
Rooms & Suites There are 150 free-standing guest hale scattered across the 81-acre property, which is part of what makes this resort so special.
—Elizabeth Brownfield, Forbes, 21 Dec. 2024
There are also plenty of restrooms scattered around Petra, as well as several souvenir shops.
—Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 21 Dec. 2024
The rest of the yard is scattered with different animals adorned in wintery gear.
—Jordan Kellogg, The Enquirer, 21 Dec. 2024
Live jazz, blues, and world music are the focus of The Iron Fairies, an underground venue whose decor includes 10,000 butterflies swinging from the ceiling and thousands of small iron fairies scattered around the tables.
—Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 10 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scattered
Adjective
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As a result, Briggs’ dream of a bucolic ranch life has instead been marred by animals found covered in oil, concerns for her groundwater and air quality, and even the looming threat of a random explosion.Evan Simon, ABC News, 19 Dec. 2024
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This key is a unique, random string of characters, like a password.Greta Cross, USA TODAY, 19 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Expecting a spouse, children, or a community to handle this long-term is unrealistic, especially as families become more dispersed and community support diminishes.Patti Brennan, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
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Since remote teams are geographically dispersed, leading through effective communication and collaboration is crucial.Caroline Castrillon, Forbes, 22 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Get the ring that’s perfect for the woman, not the ring whose price tag aligns with an arbitrary algorithm. 18.Alexandra Macon, Vogue, 19 Dec. 2024
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This first study on ADHD, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed the effect of arbitrary cut-off dates for enrollment in public schools on rates of diagnosis and treatment for ADHD.Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 17 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Any signs of disconnect between the stands and the pitch during that nervy final stage disappeared in the dark of Deepdale as the players repeatedly ran the length of the pitch to belly slide towards the away end, even returning from down the tunnel to prolong the celebration.Rob Tanner, The Athletic, 24 Dec. 2024
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The confidence of key young players has disappeared.Matthew Fairburn, The Athletic, 24 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The report identified cases of unconstitutional arrests, including an incident where officers transported the mother of a shooting victim to a police station and interrogated her while her daughter, who was struck by a stray bullet, was rushed to the hospital.Landon Mion, Fox News, 16 Dec. 2024
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That argument, which the bus driver was not involved in, ended in gunshots, with a stray slug piercing the bus’ windshield, the spokesman said.John Annese, New York Daily News, 15 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Hash browns, smothered and peppered.Matthew Glowicki, USA TODAY, 23 Dec. 2024
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Though the year has ended well with Madrid's improved standing in the title race, plus clinching the Intercontinental Cup at Pachuca's expense in Qatar earlier this week, there was a rough patch earlier in the current campaign peppered by defeats both domestically and in the Champions League.Tom Sanderson, Forbes, 22 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Chic dissolved shortly after, but Anderson went on to sing backing vocals on many of the songs Rodgers wrote and produced, including ones by Diana Ross, Johnny Mathis, Bryan Adams, and Mick Jagger.Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 23 Dec. 2024
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The vividly colored backdrop and stage dissolved to white; pattern, the organizing principle of the bodies and of the world that Abraham had so carefully constructed, was gone.Jennifer Homans, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near scattered
Cite this Entry
“Scattered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scattered. Accessed 31 Dec. 2024.
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