scattered
/'skætəd/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- 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
- lacking orderly continuity
- a confused set of instructions
- a confused dream about the end of the world
- disconnected fragments of a story
- scattered thoughts
- occurring or distributed over widely spaced and irregular intervals in time or space
- scattered showers
- scattered villages