From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishscatteredscat‧tered /ˈskætəd $ -ərd/ adjective SPREADspread over a wide area or over a long period of timescattered over/throughout/across/around etc Broken glass lay scattered over the floor.scattered with The sky was scattered with stars. There will be some scattered showers (=short periods of rain) in the afternoon. a widely scattered set of islands
Examples from the Corpus
scattered• There were books scattered all about their cottage.• Pieces of twisted metal and rusted pipe lay scattered around the yard.• It is difficult to maintain control where a scattered enforcement staff possess high discretion.• There was scattered gunfire and looting in the area.• Springtime flatters this part of the Somme countryside, undramatic with its flat fields and scattered villages.widely scattered• Most of our countries are very small and are widely scattered.• They had been unable to find the target, but had dropped and had become widely scattered.• Often churches are isolated, serving widely scattered farmsteads.• The patrol drove in a widely scattered formation in case Stukas arrived from the north.• The rocks were widely scattered in the process.• Occasionally, the only possible controls are widely scattered or are unlikely to cooperate with a program that offers nothing in return.• Individuals usually more widely scattered over shore than Golden Plovers, and less given to manoeuvres in close flocks. 