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clutter

clutter

41 3.6
Things left around in an untidy way
  • noun
  • /ˈklʌtər/
translation icon : desorden
  • The clutter in the living room made it hard to find the remote control.
  • more clutter
  • amount of clutter

Limited space certainly creates clutter, and we want to help.

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Examples

  • So all this clutter and personal items, like family photos, will need to be removed.

  • So when you're trying to sell, you don't want any clutter.

  • And what kept her from starting was the clutter in her house.

  • Lucky starts to take notice of all the clutter on the coffee table.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Limited space certainly creates clutter, and we want to help.

  • Now, please, clear out the clutter before the taste police arrive.

  • I noticed it then, for the first time, among the clutter of the kitchen.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • At the sight of the clutter on her table, sadness came over her.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • I've become much more sensitive to clutter in the last few years.

  • I had just a few hours to scrub this place clean, get rid of all the clutter.

Synonyms

jumble
vsclutter
20 4.6

A confused mixture of things or ideas

means a physical set of items lying around rather than a mixed idea set
muddle
vsclutter
9 5.0

A confused, disorganized situation where things are not in order

describes actual scattered items rather than an unclear or confused situation
messiness
vsclutter
4 1.6

A situation when things are untidy and hard to find

describes an actual spread of items lying around rather than the abstract quality
welter
vsclutter
4 9.1

A large confusing mass of things and feelings

refers to a smaller physical accumulation of items rather than a vast confusing mass
junk heap
vsclutter
3 4.2

A messy pile of old broken things people throw away

means ordinary items lying around rather than only discarded worthless accumulations
rat's nest
vsclutter
  • Informal
2 6.8

A very messy place with many things mixed together

refers to a usual scattered group of items rather than an extreme tangled state
junk pile
vsclutter
2 2.7

A messy heap of old things that people throw away

refers to everyday scattered items rather than mainly rubbish grouped together
untidiness
vsclutter
1 2.5

Mess and things not in order in a place

refers specifically to actual things lying around rather than the general state
cruft
vsclutter
1 8.7

Unwanted old things or junk that make a place messy

describes a general spread of items lying around rather than only useless objects
flotsam and jetsam
vsclutter
1 7.4

Unwanted things left behind, often washed up on a beach

means items lying around in everyday places rather than sea washed or discarded debris
dishevelment
vsclutter
1 7.2

An untidy, messy look of hair, clothes, or a room

refers to actual items lying around rather than just poor appearance or order
mare's nest
vsclutter
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A confusing, chaotic situation with many mixed-up parts

refers to actual scattered items rather than a chiefly mistaken or chaotic situation
disorderliness
vsclutter
5.8

A lack of order that makes places or things messy

focuses on the physical group of items scattered rather than the lack of order
magpie's nest
vsclutter
  • Informal
8.5

A messy collection of many different small things

means ordinary items left around rather than a deliberate hoarded assortment
dustheap
vsclutter
4.5

A pile of dust and old rubbish thrown away

means a general spread of items lying around rather than an area of rubbish

Antonyms

7 1.0

Being tidy and having things in order

3 3.6

A way of keeping things neat and in the right place

How Messy

chaos
438 3.1
clutter
41 3.6
untidiness
1 2.5
order
1.0

Surface Forms

clutter singular
clutters plural

Etymology

Clutter is related to the idea of noise and confusion, like the word clatter ('a loud noise'). It came to mean a messy pile of things, so too much clutter makes a space hard to use.