1. a small amount of superficial knowledge about a subject

Examples

• She has a smattering of French from her high school classes.
• He picked up a smattering of Spanish during his vacation in Mexico.
• With only a smattering of computer knowledge, she struggled with the new software.
• The book gives readers a smattering of information about various topics.
• His smattering of medical terms impressed no one at the hospital.
• After one cooking class, she had just a smattering of culinary skills.