What does conglomeration mean?
A conglomeration is a mass or assemblage of many different, often unrelated things gathered loosely into one whole — a jumbled mixture rather than an orderly arrangement. The word applies both literally and figuratively: one might describe a flea market as a conglomeration of antiques, electronics, and questionable snacks, or refer to a city skyline as a conglomeration of architectural styles. It also has a well-established business meaning, denoting a large corporation built by acquiring companies across unrelated industries, though in that context the noun 'conglomerate' is more commonly used. Derived from Latin roots meaning 'to roll together into a ball,' the term carries no inherent approval; it frequently implies a certain unwieldiness or lack of coherence. Writers reach for it when they want something weightier than 'collection' or 'group' yet less dismissive than 'hodgepodge,' making it a versatile word for describing complexity without judgment.
nounA conglomeration is a mass or collection of miscellaneous, often disparate things clustered together into a single body; in business, it also denotes a large corporation formed by merging companies engaged in unrelated fields.
- A disorderly or varied collection of different things gathered together.
- A large corporation made up of subsidiary businesses operating in unrelated industries.
"The junk drawer had become a conglomeration of batteries, rubber bands, and dead pens."
"Her bookshelf was a charming conglomeration of paperbacks, seashells, and framed postcards."
"After years of acquisitions, the firm had grown into a sprawling conglomerate with holdings in shipping, media, and food processing."
The plural is regular but relatively rare; the singular is strongly preferred even when referring to multiple collections.
"The museum's storage rooms contained dozens of curious conglomerations of artifacts from different eras."
The same Latin root that gave us 'conglomeration' literally means to roll into a ball — so every conglomerate company is, etymologically speaking, a corporate snowball.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of conglomeration
Conglomeration derives from the Latin verb conglomerare, formed from com- ('together') and glomerare ('to roll into a ball'), itself from glomus, meaning 'ball.' The word entered English in the early 17th century, initially used of physical masses rolled or gathered into a compact form. Its relatives include conglomerate and agglomeration, all sharing the same root, which also underlies words like glomerulus in anatomy.
Related word forms
How conglomeration is actually used
Conglomeration is a formal-to-neutral register word common in journalism and business writing; it often carries a faintly negative or wry connotation of shapelessness or excess when describing physical collections. In its business sense, the shorter form 'conglomerate' is far more frequent than 'conglomeration.'
Easily confused with conglomeration
A conglomeration is a loose, heterogeneous cluster of unlike things, whereas a concentration is a gathering of similar things into a dense, focused mass.
Both words describe clustered masses from the same Latin root, but agglomeration emphasizes the act of sticking together (often of similar particles), while conglomeration stresses the resulting mixture's diversity.