Word
interspersed
Phoneticsin·ter·spersed
US/ˌɪntɝˈspɝst/
UK/ˌɪntəspˈɜːsd/
Definition
adj. placed or scattered at intervals among other things. You use it to describe something that is mixed in here and there rather than being all in one spot.
adj. distributed at intervals or scattered among other items. Often used as a participial adjective to describe a pattern of distribution within a larger set.
Examples
“The book has short poems interspersed with colorful drawings.”
“The long, technical presentation was interspersed with brief breaks to keep the audience engaged.”
“The ancient forest consists primarily of oak trees, interspersed with occasional clusters of silver birch that thrive in the sunnier clearings.”
Examples
simple
“The book has short poems interspersed with colorful drawings.”
contextual
“The long, technical presentation was interspersed with brief breaks to keep the audience engaged.”
complex
“The ancient forest consists primarily of oak trees, interspersed with occasional clusters of silver birch that thrive in the sunnier clearings.”
Usage
Often follows a linking verb or is used in the passive construction 'be interspersed with'.
Pitfall
interspersed between
interspersed with
While 'between' is used for two distinct points, 'with' is the standard preposition used to describe the items mixed into the main group.
Real-World Examples
“The grim, hardscrabble details of their lives are interspersed with the airy pledges of politicians including George W Bush, Tony Blair, David Cameron, Barack Obama and Donald Trump.” “But it’s more complicated in that genomes typically have areas where the next letter matters a great deal, interspersed with sequences where the next base could be anything and it wouldn’t matter.” “Drought Monitor Despite generally dry conditions, spring rain, interspersed with periods of above-average temperatures, supported widespread growth of grasses, shrubs and other vegetation across the Northwest.” “Guides to constructing chocolate bridges reinforced with gummy laces and meringue rockets with ice-cream inside are interspersed with punchy information about pioneering scientists, all complemented by Sae-Heng’s bright, welcoming illustrations.” Scan code
englishreference.com/q/interspersed