Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Spread out over a wide area; not close together: Describes things or people that are distributed over a large space with significant gaps between them.
   • Occurring or found at irregular intervals: Describes events, instances, or objects that happen or appear infrequently and without a regular pattern.
   • Disorganized; not connected in a logical sequence: Describes thoughts, ideas, or information that are disjointed and lack a clear, coherent order.

Examples of Usage

• Adjective:
  • The scattered clouds promised a mostly sunny day. (The clouds were spread far apart in the sky.)
  • There were only a few scattered houses in the vast valley. (The houses were few and far from each other.)
  • After the explosion, debris was scattered across the street. (Pieces were thrown and spread over a wide area.)
  • Her notes were scattered all over the desk. (The notes were in a disorganized spread across the desk's surface.)
  • He tried to gather his scattered thoughts before the interview. (His thoughts were disorganized and unfocused.)

Advanced Usage

• "to be scattered to the four winds": To be dispersed or sent to many different, faraway places.
  • After the company closed, its employees were scattered to the four winds.
• "scattered to the winds": Similar to the above, meaning thoroughly dispersed.
  • The secret documents were scattered to the winds, making them impossible to recover fully.

Variants and Related Words

• Scatter (verb): To throw or spread things untidily over a surface or area.
  • The wind will scatter the leaves.
• Scattering (noun): A small, dispersed number or amount.
  • There was only a scattering of people in the audience.

Synonyms

• Dispersed: Spread over a wide area.
• Sporadic: Occurring at irregular intervals.
• Strewn: Scattered untidily over a surface.
• Disjointed: Lacking a coherent sequence or connection.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Scatter about/around: To place or throw things in various directions untidily.
  • Don't scatter your toys about the living room.
• Scatter with: To cover a surface by scattering something on it.
  • The path was scattered with fallen petals.

Related Idioms

• (as) scarce as hen's teeth: Extremely rare or scattered. (Note: This idiom uses "scarce," which is a synonym for rare or infrequent, similar to one meaning of "scattered.")
  • Honest politicians in this town are as scarce as hen's teeth.

Adjective

1. lacking orderly continuity
   • a confused set of instructions
   • a confused dream about the end of the world
   • disconnected fragments of a story
   • scattered thoughts
2. occurring or distributed over widely spaced and irregular intervals in time or space
   • scattered showers
   • scattered villages