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scattered

scattered

1 3.6
Not in order and difficult to understand or use
  • adjective
  • /ˈskætərd/
translation icon : desorganizado
  • The toys were scattered all over the living room floor, making it difficult to walk without stepping on one.

So if your goals are scattered, so will your focus be.

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Examples

  • I would come home from work and papers would be scattered, notes would be left.

  • All we have is a scattered outline of a life that we get through the journals.

    Blog text (24)
  • So if your goals are scattered, so will your focus be.

  • So we are in our new hotel room, scattered all over the place with such a view.

  • This is, indeed, starting, but in a scattered way.

    Academic text (1993)
  • I just have a couple of different, rather scattered thoughts on this one.

    Blog text (28)
  • Some scattered and highly intellectual comments.

    Blog text (18)
  • I apologize for my scattered, slightly cryptic post the other day.

    Blog text (12)
  • Margaret's a good woman, but she's very scattered.

  • To gain some insight into the lessons he might have to teach us, we must search through his scattered and occasionally aphoristic remarks on the topic.

    Academic text (2005)

Synonyms

all over the place
vsscattered
  • Informal
283 4.8

In a confused, disorganized way with things or thoughts scattered

is the neutral term for lacking order and continuous structure
disorganized
vsscattered
  • US
38 3.1

Not in a clear order or plan

adds that parts are also spread out rather than just messy
sporadic
vsscattered
35 7.0

Happening sometimes and in different places

stresses continuous lack of order and spread rather than mere timing irregularity
sparse
vsscattered
31 5.0

Present in small numbers or amounts

highlights lack of order and broken continuity rather than density alone
sprawling
vsscattered
26 4.4

Spreading out over a large area in an untidy way like a city or tree branches

adds emphasis on missing internal order and continuity beyond large spread
stray
vsscattered
20 4.3

Appearing alone and not near other things in time or place

describes wider lack of order and continuous arrangement rather than single occurrences
confused
vsscattered
18 1.0

Messy and not in order, with things mixed up

adds that parts are also spread out and lack continuity
garbled
vsscattered
15 7.6

Speech or writing that is unclear and hard to understand

focuses on distorted wording and confusion rather than broken arrangement
disjointed
vsscattered
10 6.0

Not clear or organized, with ideas that jump around

extends that incoherence to physical separation and missing continuity
scraggly
vsscattered
9 6.0

Thin and untidy in appearance, often with rough, uneven ends

relates to lacking structure and regular arrangement beyond mere roughness
disordered
vsscattered
7 4.5

Not arranged in a clear or tidy way

focuses more on being spread out and discontinuous rather than only messy
fragmentary
vsscattered
5 7.0

Has small parts that are not whole or joined

covers missing continuity and overall disorganized layout rather than only fragments
unstructured
vsscattered
4 4.4

Not organized in a clear plan or order

highlights missing order while also implying parts are apart
unconnected
vsscattered
4 5.1

Not in a clear order or logically linked

adds that this lack of relation also creates a spread, disordered layout
disorderly
vsscattered
4 4.5

A place or thing that is untidy and not in order

emphasizes disorganization plus parts being spread and discontinuous
scattershot
vsscattered
3 8.3

Covering many things in a random, unfocused way

is about lacking structure and continuity rather than only random coverage
straggly
vsscattered
2 6.5

Having long, loose parts that look untidy, like hair or bushes

focuses on lack of structure and continuous order rather than only appearance
unsorted
vsscattered
1 3.9

Not put in any order

means the same lack of order but also suggests parts are dispersed
unordered
vsscattered
1 4.1

Not in any clear order

adds that this lack of sequence also causes parts to be spread out
dispersed
vsscattered
4.2

Spread out across a wide area

emphasizes lack of structure and continuity rather than only wide spread
distributed
vsscattered
3.8

Spread out across an area or shared among many people

stresses disorder and missing structure rather than mere allocation
jumbled
vsscattered
3.8

Mixed together in a confused and untidy way

refers more to things being apart and lacking continuity rather than mixed
scrambled
vsscattered
3.0

Mixed up in a confused way

points to lack of continuous structure and wide separation instead of only mixed
scrambly
vsscattered
7.6

Messy and jumbled so people cannot understand it

relates to missing order and spread rather than just messy look
fragmental
vsscattered
7.9

Having small separate parts that are not complete

adds that pieces are also spread out and lack continuity
disconnected
vsscattered
5.1

Having parts or ideas that do not fit together clearly

focuses on physical spread and disordered arrangement as well
straggling
vsscattered
6.0

Spread out in an untidy, scattered way, like houses far from a village

is more general about lacking order and continuity across contexts

Antonyms

1.7

Organized neatly so things are easy to find

How Organized

systematic
66 4.6
orderly
55 2.4
scattered
1 3.6
chaotic
116 4.7

Surface Forms

scattered positive

Morphology

scattered = scatter (semi-transparent) = scatter + ed

The meaning 'lacking order or continuity' is a slightly more abstract/idiomatic extension of 'spread out', so learners may need contextual knowledge to infer it.

Etymology

Scattered comes from the verb scatter, which meant 'to throw things here and there', so when ideas, notes, or items are scattered they are 'not in order' and feel disorganized.