How well do you keep things? There are several words for a person who is good at keeping things. However, ‘keeping things’ can be defined in different ways, making for different words to qualify the act.
There are words for a person who collects things just to keep them. There are words for people who keep things they don’t need.
There are words for people who keep things intentionally for a reason. There are also words for people who keep secrets.
What do you call someone who keeps everything?
- Archivist
- Hoarder
- Tight-fisted
- Disciplined
- Curator
- Organized
- Pack rat
- Withholding
- Cataloguer
- Prudent
- Collector
- Guardian
- Forward-thinking
- Cluttered
- Private
Archivist
A person who keeps things can be called an Archivist. This is different from someone who hides things from the public, as it only deals with the keeping of records.
An Archivist is a person who is in charge of or performs the task of creating, collecting, cataloging, and organizing, archives. This name refers to someone who keeps things in order for easy later reference.
This kind of person keeps things in order so they can be found easily when, or if, they are needed in the future. An Archivist can also be given the adjective, ‘organized’.
Example:
- He is the school’s Archivist. He should be able to help you find the records.
Hoarder
A hoarder is someone who hoards (keeps things in store for himself or herself). A hoarder is one who accumulates, collects, and stores, especially one who does so to excess.
He/she keeps things to be used later but may be keeping more than he/she needs.
This word is often used to refer to traders who keep goods to fake scarcity and drive up the market price. It is a selfish method for traders to make more profit. The word however isn’t central to traders.
‘Hoarding’ simply refers to the act of continuously accumulating things for one’s private collection and hiding it from others.
When a trader hoards, he/she buys a particular product at a cheap price in large quantity and hides from consumers, making it appear as though the product has become scarce.
Example:
- That woman is a hoarder. She has more of this in stock
Tight-fisted
Being tight-fisted refers to the state of being mean and unwilling to give things. This is the opposite of Generosity which refers to the act of donating money, time, or effort to help others.
There are people who keep things for the sake of the future. There are also people who keep things for good reasons. Tight-fisted people keep things for selfish reasons.
They don’t have specific purposes for the things they keep to themselves but they are always unwilling to give out to others, even when they don’t need what they are keeping.
Example:
- You are the most tight-fisted person I’ve ever seen. There are people who actually need this.
Disciplined
A disciplined person is someone who’s able to control himself or herself in tempting situations. Being disciplined means being able to control oneself from submitting to impulses and urges.
This term can refer to the act of keeping things in order like an Archivist. It can also refer to the act of not throwing things away. It takes discipline to make the decision to keep things and stick to that decision.
If you want to refer to a person who has been keeping things for one reason or another, you can call him/her disciplined.
This term however may be incorrect for a hoarder or a tight-fisted person. It is a positive word and is only correct to use for a person who is doing something positive consistently.
Example:
- I am not disciplined enough to keep this for so long.
Curator
A curator is a person who manages or organizes a collection, either as an independent individual or an employee.
It can also refer to a person appointed to act as guardian of the estate of a person not legally competent to manage it, or of an absentee.
A curator can be a person who keeps things in a collection so they can be accessed at whatever time they are needed.
For example, a curator can work in a museum and, when tourists come over for sightseeing, he/she can easily find all that has been kept.
Example:
- I used to work as a Curator at the community Library.
Organized
Being organized refers to the act of being able to arrange items, files, etc. in a particular order which makes it easy to surf and find each item.
An organized person is one who doesn’t just keep things but keeps them in a way that makes it easy to find them when they are needed.
This is a major quality of a Curator or Archivist. They are required to keep things and they have to be organized so it isn’t difficult to find things when they are needed.
The opposite of this word is ‘Disorganized’ or ‘Disordered’ which refers to when something is in the wrong arrangement or isn’t arranged at all. When things are not intentionally kept, they will be disorganized.
Example:
- I love how organized she is. Every item is well kept.
Pack rat
Pack Rat is a term for an organized person who keeps things that are not needed. A pack rat is a person who keeps or hoards things, especially ones that are unnecessary.
People keep things for several reasons. While some are reasonable, some are simply selfish and some are unnecessary. There are also people who just don’t have a reason for keeping things but they do.
A tight-fisted person is selfish and just doesn’t see a reason to give things out. A Pack Rat simply keeps everything.
A pack rat is used to keeping things and may not keep things for major reasons anymore. This makes it possible for a Pack Rat to keep useless or unnecessary things without any plans on what to do with them.
Example:
- Don’t be such a pack rat. You won’t be needing that ever.
Withholding
Withholding is a term for a person who keeps things that are owned by others, rather than returning to their owner. Withholding can also refer to a person who keeps secrets or information from others.
Withholding is simply keeping something to yourself unnecessarily. There are people who keep things that they borrowed, hoping that the owners will forget to ask for them.
This is a negative habit which may be even worse than being tight-fisted.
If you also want to refer to someone who is keeping something a secret, whether it’s useful information or not, you can call him/her ‘withholding’.
People often withhold useful information from others for one reason or another. In some cases, it’s to gain something. In other cases, it’s to keep others in the dark about something.
Example:
- I hate depending on him. He can be withholding at times.
Cataloguer
A cataloguer can also be known as a Curator or an Archivist. A cataloguer is a person who keeps things in an order which allows for easy location of each item in the order. ‘A cataloguer is simply a person who catalogs i.e. puts things in a list.
Many traders put their items in catalogs so buyers can easily look through which items are available and which aren’t and place their orders.
Example:
- Who is the Cataloguer for your products? A product is missing.
Prudent
Prudent is an adjective for a person who saves money and resources or is careful with money to avoid spending too much. This simply has to do with keeping valuable things with reference to the future.
This can be considered a synonym for ‘Tight-fisted’ but it is much more positive. Tight-fisted suggests that a person is unwilling to give out money for any reason while Prudent suggests that a person is simply being economical and maximizing the use of resources.
If you know a person who saves things for the future rather than wasting them, you can call him/her ‘Prudent’.
Example:
- He is very prudent so you have to give him an economical reason to buy from you.
Collector
‘Collector’ is a name for a person or thing that creates or manages a collection. The word also refers to a person who is employed to collect payments and keep them for a group.
This is an alternative formal name for a ‘Treasurer’. A treasurer is an official entrusted with the funds and revenues of an organization. He/she keeps money for the group.
Collector is also often used to refer to someone who acquires and keeps a particular kind of thing. For example, there are stone collectors who collect different kinds of stones.
There are also people who collect precious stones, artworks, coins, etc.
Example:
- She is a stone collector. She keeps virtually every new one she comes across.
Guardian
A guardian is a person who watches over or protects something. He/she is like a curator who manages an estate for its owner.
This term is also often used to refer to a person who legally guides another person who is considered incompetent.
Example:
- I am not the guardian of his properties so I don’t have control.
Forward-thinking
‘Forward-thinking’ is an adjective for a person who is interested in the future and is actively planning for it. This can also be ‘Forward-looking’.
A forward-thinking person makes each decision and step with the future in his/her mind.
The word, ‘Forward-thinking’, gives a reason for a person to keep things. As mentioned earlier, people keep things for several reasons which range from selfishness to preparation for the future.
Example:
- I love how forward-thinking you are. I would have thrown this out years ago.
Caretaker
A caretaker is someone looking after somewhere, or with responsibility for keeping a place in good repair. A caretaker may also be someone who takes care of a person, as a parent or guardian.
This is another name for a Curator who manages an estate for another person. It refers to anyone who is in charge of something or a place and must keep it in good condition.
Example:
- I was the caretaker for his building a few years ago.
Private
A Private person is one who is reserved or secretive. This is a positive name for a Withholding person who only withholds information about himself or herself.
A private person keeps his/her life secret. He/she doesn’t give out any information about himself or herself. If you want to refer to a person who keeps every one of his/her feelings, desires, and challenges inside, you can call him/her private.
Example:
- No one knows his net worth. He is that private.
People keep different things for different reasons, making for different nouns and adjectives to qualify them.
A person who keeps information from others is called ‘Withholding’ but a person who keeps the information about himself is called ‘Private’.
A person who keeps resources for selfish reasons is called ‘Tight-fisted’ but a person who keeps resources for future use is called ‘Prudent’.
There are many other names for people who keep things.
