agglomeration

noun

ag·​glom·​er·​a·​tion ə-ˌglä-mə-ˈrā-shən How to pronounce agglomeration (audio)
1
: the action or process of collecting in a mass
the agglomeration of matter into stars and galaxies
2
: a heap or cluster of usually disparate (see disparate sense 1) elements
… an agglomeration of 100-year-old cottages with gingerbread scroll-saw ornamentation.Ira Henry Freeman
3
: a large, densely and contiguously populated area consisting of a city and its suburbs
an urban agglomeration
agglomerative adjective

Examples of agglomeration in a Sentence

This suburb has become just a vast agglomeration of houses, people, and cars. the bedroom community became a vast agglomeration of houses, schools, and small shops
Recent Examples on the Web Aguilar, who operates Border Town with his partner Amanda Rosa, grew up between the U.S. and Mexico, in the transborder agglomeration Calexico-Mexicali. Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 4 Feb. 2024 About halfway through a six-week assembly process of mind-bending complexity, the equipment making up the tip of the iceberg is a house-size agglomeration of shiny metal tubes, opaque chambers, and wiring. IEEE Spectrum, 5 Jan. 2018 As China experimented with markets and special economic zones in its coastal cities, agglomeration economies that resulted from the reduction of barriers to capital established themselves. Simon Curtis and Ian Klaus, Foreign Affairs, 27 Nov. 2023 The latest spectacle, observed by the James Webb Space Telescope, is an agglomeration of nearly 150 free-floating objects amid the Orion Nebula, not far in mass from Jupiter. Jonathan O’Callaghan, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2023 In the flesh, the document is an agglomeration of misinformation, platitudes and premasticated nostrums. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2023 Intricate embroidery and theatrical agglomerations of fabric are by nature excessive and inefficient, serving no particular purpose beyond simply being a beautiful, special thing. Rachel Wetzler, New York Times, 10 July 2023 Museums certainly depend on agglomerations of wealth to build collections and sustain their mission, and artists are no strangers to greed. Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 6 June 2023 As much as the characters represent an agglomeration of types, they are well written and the actors invest them with life. Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'agglomeration.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Medieval Latin agglomerātiōn-, agglomerātiō, from Latin agglomerāre "to agglomerate entry 1" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of action nouns

First Known Use

1661, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of agglomeration was in 1661

Dictionary Entries Near agglomeration

Cite this Entry

“Agglomeration.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/agglomeration. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

agglomeration

noun
ag·​glom·​er·​a·​tion ə-ˌgläm-ə-ˈrā-shən How to pronounce agglomeration (audio)
1
: the action or process of collecting in a mass
2
: a heap or cluster of dissimilar elements
agglomerative adjective
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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