Meaning & use
clustered
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“clustered” is a form of “cluster”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
adjectivenot comparable
Gathered closely together in a small group rather than spread evenly or far apart.
Grammar: Can be before a noun or after be; it describes arrangement, not degree.
Patterns
- clustered around something
- clustered together
- tightly clustered
The houses were clustered around the old well.
Small boats lay clustered together in the harbor.
adjectivenot comparablecomputingtechnical
Arranged as a connected group of computers, servers, or data points to share work or improve reliability.
Grammar: Mainly technical; it still means grouped, but the group has a system purpose.
Patterns
- clustered servers
- clustered data
- clustered environment
Clustered servers kept the website online during heavy traffic.
The diagram shows clustered data points for each region.
Common combinations
- tightly clustered
- The cabins were tightly clustered against the wind.
- clustered around
- Fans clustered around the stage door.
- clustered together
- The desks were clustered together to make discussion easier.
- loosely clustered
- Villages were loosely clustered along the valley floor.
Synonyms and how they differ
- grouped
- Grouped is neutral and can be organized by rules; clustered suggests closeness or bunching.
- bunched
- Bunched is informal and often physical, like hair or objects pressed together.
- concentrated
- Concentrated stresses density in one area and can be abstract, unlike clustered.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: clustered or categorized?
clustered vs categorized
Categorized means sorted by type or criteria; clustered only means placed close together, though data may be both.
Practice
Choose the best preposition: The shops are clustered ___ the main square.
Choose one answer.
Clustered around means gathered near a central point. Clustered into would need a resulting category, and against suggests only position touching a surface.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “clustered”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.