cluttered

USAGE SUMMARY

The word "cluttered" is correct and usable in written English.
It is an adjective used to describe something that is crowded or disorganized, often due to a large amount of things in a small space. For example: "My desk is so cluttered I can hardly see what's on it."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

"For many years, we fought in the creeks because we were sidelined even though Nigeria's wealth comes from here," said Wilson, thumping a fist on a desk cluttered with awards – mostly from organisations he funds with money the government pays him not to bleed oil pipelines.

The Guardian

The existing curriculum is not without its faults: repeatedly re-engineered since it was set in place 20 years ago, it is now cluttered and prescriptive.

The Economist

In a home cluttered to the point of squalor, she helped edit two émigré journals, both beset by feuds.When the empire fell she received high honours in Prague and Warsaw, and travelled frequently to Russia though under Vladimir Putin the human-rights heroes of the Soviet era are largely ignored, not celebrated.

The Economist

While the Kmart shop in the same mall is dingy, with narrow aisles cluttered with cardboard boxes and broken clothes racks, the Target store is spacious, brightly lit and clean.

The Economist

SPACE is so vast that it might seem absurd to worry about its becoming cluttered.

The Economist

For he was absent, in New Jersey, in a classroom cluttered with drum kits and cheerleaders' batons, delivering a speech in front of a banner advertising the Maroon Raiders Marching Band.The remarkable thing is that Mr Gephardt has won rich praise for this sort of absenteeism.

The Economist

In the case of Spirit, they think that one of the craft's memory chips has got cluttered up with files created on the journey to Mars.

The Economist

The ground was cluttered with strange objects; when the sun rose, he found himself among the open-eyed corpses of Germans who had been killed the day before.Or it may have been what happened a few months later.

The Economist

"Tiles" replace the icons that have cluttered screens since Windows 95 appeared 17 years ago.

The Economist

One reason that drugs have side-effects is cross-interaction between them if more than one is prescribed, and this, again, is frequently due to the degradation pathways getting "cluttered up".

The Economist

Automation begins from the middle and works outward, because difficult-to-automate tasks fall into two categories: those that must be done by highly skilled workers (like inventing iPhones) and those that are manually challenging (like navigating and cleaning a cluttered office).So, imagine that the labour force exists along a skill continuum.

The Economist

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When describing a physical space, use "cluttered" to convey a sense of being filled with items in a disorganized manner. For abstract contexts, like a "cluttered" agenda, it implies too many items competing for attention.

Common error

Avoid using "cluttered" to describe internal emotional states or thought processes. It's better suited for physical spaces or tangible items. Use words like "overwhelmed" or "confused" instead to express internal disarray.

Linguistic Context

The word "cluttered" functions primarily as an adjective, describing a noun as being filled with a disorderly accumulation of items. Ludwig AI indicates that this usage is grammatically correct and commonly found in various contexts.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

88%

Formal & Business

6%

Science

3%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "cluttered" is a versatile adjective used to describe spaces or environments filled with items in a disorganized manner. As confirmed by Ludwig AI, it is grammatically correct and very commonly used, particularly in News & Media. When writing, it's best used to describe physical spaces and to suggest a lack of order. Consider alternatives like "messy" or "disorderly" for slight variations in meaning. The examples provided by Ludwig illustrate its diverse applications, offering valuable insights for effective writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

disorderly

Describes a lack of order or organization, focusing more on the state than the abundance of items.

messy

Implies a lack of neatness or tidiness, often suggesting a temporary or easily remedied state.

untidy

Similar to "messy" but can also imply a habitual lack of care for order.

littered

Suggests that items are scattered haphazardly, often implying carelessness or neglect.

strewn

Similar to "littered", but may imply a more forceful or accidental scattering.

overcrowded

Focuses on the excessive number of items filling a space, rather than their disorganization.

overfull

Indicates a space or container filled beyond its capacity, highlighting the excess.

jumbled

Describes a confused or unsorted mixture of things.

disorganized

A more general term for a lack of systematic arrangement.

in disarray

Highlights a state of confusion or disorder, often implying a breakdown of order.

FAQs

How can I use "cluttered" in a sentence?

You can use "cluttered" to describe a space filled with objects in a disorderly manner, such as "The desk was "cluttered" with papers and books".

What can I say instead of "cluttered"?

Depending on the context, alternatives to "cluttered" include "messy", "disorderly", or "untidy".

What's the difference between "cluttered" and "messy"?

"Cluttered" emphasizes the presence of too many items in disarray, while "messy" focuses on a general lack of neatness. A room can be "messy" without being "cluttered" if there aren't many items present.

Is it correct to say a mind is "cluttered"?

While less common, describing a mind as "cluttered" can metaphorically suggest it's filled with too many thoughts or concerns. However, alternatives like "overwhelmed" or "anxious" might be more precise.