SCATTERSHOT Synonyms: 71 Similar and Opposite Words

scattershot

adjective

Definition of scattershot

as in haphazard

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of scattershot Elwood scanned the bullet points, a scattershot list of demands. — Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026 All this scattershot world-building and world-visiting allows for some colorfully diverting vignettes, in which production designer Alexandra Walker and costume designer Ann Maskrey get to show off their giddy, gaudy wares. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 22 Aug. 2026 Investors have been seeking details on Zuckerberg’s AI strategy, which has been scattershot and left Meta behind OpenAI, Anthropic and Google in the market for top models and services. — Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 30 July 2026 As seemingly scattershot as the box-office yields for these films can be, don’t expect live-action remakes of classic animation to turn into a pumpkin anytime soon. — Chris Lee, Vulture, 14 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for scattershot

Recent Examples of Synonyms for scattershot

Adjective

After that, Grace all but disappears from Crystal Lake, exposing the haphazard plotting of a show that refuses to commit.

— Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026
Violent crime, once almost unknown on the island, is rising sharply—another sign of the state’s haphazard retreat.

— Will Freeman, Foreign Affairs, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of haphazard

Adjective

The audit, released Monday, identified a host of issues, including regulators’ failure to meet regular inspection schedules or to conduct sufficient random checks at dispensaries for contaminated products.

— Christopher Osher, ProPublica, 21 Oct. 2026
There is nothing truly random about whether a coin comes up heads or tails.

— Philipp Strasberg, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of random

Adjective

The cynic would say their aims are financial, and the outcomes in education are merely incidental to that end.

— Kamau Bobb October 21, Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2026
But then the story stalls, zeroes in on some incidental detail, and collapses into a mode of reflection that is circular and recursive.

— Meghan O’Gieblyn, The New York Review of Books, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of incidental

Adjective

Given that the dynamic between Europe and Russia is now characterized by pervasive mutual suspicion, conspiracy theories, and expectations of war, there is a growing danger of inadvertent escalation.

— Dmitry Adamsky, Foreign Affairs, 21 Oct. 2026
When a leader announces that a new tool will simplify processes, there’s an inadvertent message sent to employees.

— Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of inadvertent

Adjective

In the absence of regular data, analysts and activists interested in immigration trends have relied on information obtained through lawsuits or limited and sporadic information released by federal agencies to track deportation data.

— Rebecca Santana, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
Only some regional operators have continued sporadic services, generally using smaller feeder vessels.

— Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of sporadic

Adjective

The film deals with an urban legend that a Nevada reservoir is a time portal, and the aimless group of teenage best friends who become obsessed with going back in history.

— Brent Lang, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2026
Youth sports, once the redoubt of aimless childhood play, have become hopelessly commercialized.

— Nora Kenney Mittiga, Washington Post, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of aimless

Browse Nearby Words

scatters

scattershot

scatting

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Style

“Scattershot.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scattershot. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of scattershot

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

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