Learn English – A person who has a hard time throwing away unnecessary things

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What would we call a person who has a hard time throwing away unnecessary things, and, as a result, has a home cluttered with stuff?

This person is not just untidy. What causes the clutter is their urge to buy things they don't need and being unable to get rid of things they don't use.

I think there is an idiom for it. But a single noun or an adjective would do too.

Thank you!

Best Answer

The common term for this sort hoarder, one who hoards. Per the Oxford Dictionaries:

hoard

VERB

[WITH OBJECT]

  1. Accumulate (money or valued objects) and hide or store away.

    ‘thousands of antiques hoarded by a compulsive collector’

Note that this often has a rather negative connotation. There was a rather frightening TV show called Hoarders about such people.

There is also pack rat which is slightly less negative:

pack rat

NOUN

  1. another term for woodrat

  2. North American derogatory A person who hoards things.

Note: no matter what my wife tells you, neither of these terms apply to me. 8^)

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