What does spattered mean?
Spattered describes the action of throwing, splashing, or scattering small drops or particles across something. It is especially common with rain, mud, paint, food, or other substances that leave visible marks. A person may be “spattered with mud,” while rain may “spatter the windows.” The word can also be used figuratively to suggest that a person or object is marked by scattered traces of something, often with a humorous or mildly negative implication. Spattered is the past tense and past participle of spatter, a verb meaning to splash or scatter liquid or particles. It is understood in standard British and American English and is often more vivid than the simpler word splashed because it emphasizes small drops or irregular marks rather than one larger splash.
To scatter or splash small drops or particles of a liquid, powder, or other substance over a surface.
"The dog ran through the puddle and spattered our clothes with mud."
Often transitive, with the material or surface receiving the drops given as the object. It can also be used intransitively, as with rain.
Covered or marked with scattered drops or particles of a substance.
"His jacket was spattered with paint from the old fence."
Usually used predicatively or in the phrase “spattered with,” rather than standing alone as a formal adjective.
A single raindrop can spatter a window; a handful of mud can spatter an entire outfit.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does spattered come from?
The form derives from the verb spatter, which is related to splatter and to words such as splash and sprinkle in their associations with scattering liquid. The development reflects the common English pattern of adding -er to create a verb expressing a brief or repeated action. Spatter and its derivatives have long been used for the scattering of drops, especially rain or mud.
Related word forms
How spattered is actually used
Spattered is standard in both formal and informal contexts. It can sound vivid and slightly physical, and is often used figuratively for surfaces marked by scattered substances or for people marked by an accident or mishap.
Easily confused with spattered
Both words describe liquid being scattered over a surface, but spattered is the more general term, while splattered often suggests a heavier or more conspicuous covering.
Scattered means dispersed over an area, whereas spattered specifically describes drops or small particles striking or covering a surface.