Clutter

/ˈklʌtər/

nounBeginner🔥Very CommonGeneral
2 meanings2 questions

Definitions

2 meanings
1

A disordered collection of things.

/ˈklʌtər/

nounnegativeBeginner
General

A collection of things lying in a disorderly heap.

The attic was full of clutter.

💡 Simply: Imagine a messy room with toys, clothes, and books all over the place. That's clutter! It's a bunch of stuff jumbled together in a disorganized way.

👶 For kids: Too many things mixed up in a messy pile.

More Examples

2

She spent the afternoon decluttering her closet.

How It's Used

Home Organization

"The garage was filled with clutter."

Office

"He needed to declutter his desk to improve productivity."

2

To fill with things in a disorganized way.

/ˈklʌtər/

verbnegativeBeginner
General

To fill or cover with a disorderly collection of things.

Don't clutter your mind with worries.

💡 Simply: To clutter something is like piling stuff on top of other stuff until it's a big, messy pile. Think of a child's messy bedroom - they've cluttered it with toys!

👶 For kids: To make something messy with too many things.

More Examples

2

He cluttered the room with furniture.

How It's Used

Home Organization

"Don't clutter the kitchen counter with dishes."

Writing

"The essay was cluttered with unnecessary details."

Tip:Imagine cluttering a room – making it messy by adding more things.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Antonyms

From Middle English *clutteren, of uncertain origin, possibly related to Old English *clott 'lump' or a Scandinavian source.

The word's usage has remained relatively consistent over time, primarily referring to a state of disorder.

Memory tip

Think of a cluttered room – lots of things piled up messily.

Word Origin

LanguageMiddle English
Original meaning

"Possibly related to Old English *clott 'lump' or a Scandinavian source. The exact etymology is uncertain."

Base: clutter
clutter upclear the clutter

Common misspellings

cluttereclutterd

Usage

70%Spoken
30%Written