agglomeration

American  

[uh-glom-uh-rey-shuhn] / əˌglɒm əˈreɪ ʃən /

noun

1. a jumbled cluster or mass of varied parts.

   Synonyms:

   aggregate, agglomerate, conglomerate, aggregation, conglomeration, jumble

2. the act or process of agglomerating.

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Usage

What does agglomeration mean? An agglomeration is a messy cluster or jumbled collection of various elements. Agglomeration is often used to refer to groupings of miscellaneous things—such as various types of objects or even people—into a single (though often somewhat messy) unit. The similar word conglomeration can be used to mean just about the same thing, but it doesn’t always imply a sense of messiness like agglomeration usually does. Agglomeration can also refer to the process of agglomerating—gathering into a cluster or mass. Agglomeration is also used in a more specific way in the context of computer programming to refer to a process in which certain tasks are grouped together in code. Example: I forgot that the art project was due today, so my collage is really just an agglomeration of things I found around the house.

Etymology

Origin of agglomeration

First recorded in 1765–75; agglomerate + -ion

Explanation

The word agglomeration is quite an agglomeration of letters, a big bunch of them. Inside of agglomeration you see the word glom which means to become stuck or attached to something. An agglomeration is a bunch of stuff that has glommed onto each other. Try not to confuse the word with abomination which is an awful and reprehensible thing. If you had an agglomeration of abominations, you'd have more than a handful of hateful objects.

Example Sentences

At heart it has been an exercise in what economists call "comparative advantage" and "agglomeration" - a collection of things.

From BBC • Feb. 14, 2026

Instead, it is an agglomeration of mutually exclusive cultures established separately on the continent at different times by different peoples, each based on its own disparate “habits, beliefs, customs, values, and ideals.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 7, 2025

However, copper's thermal stability typically weakens near that temperature, leading to particle agglomeration and loss of activity.

From Science Daily • Nov. 5, 2025

In part that’s because something about a Giant White House’s design suggests the agglomeration of houselike details without actually adding up to an identifiable home.

From Slate • Mar. 6, 2025

That was all London was beyond its center, an agglomeration of dull little towns.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan