as in to categorize
disapproving
to unfairly think of or describe (someone or something) as belonging to only a certain category
She likes to perform different types of music because she doesn't want to be pigeonholed.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pigeonhole
Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 24 Feb. 2026
At 46, Kate Hudson has secured a Best Actress Oscar nomination for Song Sung Blue, marking a dramatic career shift 25 years after her first nomination and years of being pigeonholed as Hollywood’s rom-com leading lady.
—Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 24 Feb. 2026
Jim Cramer, CNBC, 13 Apr. 2025
And to his credit, Leitch escapes that pigeonhole … only to get trapped in another.
—Will Leitch, Vulture, 8 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pigeonhole
Verb
In its opening moments, Blasé Saint seems easy to pigeonhole.
—Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 24 Feb. 2026
At 46, Kate Hudson has secured a Best Actress Oscar nomination for Song Sung Blue, marking a dramatic career shift 25 years after her first nomination and years of being pigeonholed as Hollywood’s rom-com leading lady.
—Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 24 Feb. 2026
Noun
Dover is a company made up of a portfolio of different end markets and should not be held to a data center pigeonhole.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 13 Apr. 2025
And to his credit, Leitch escapes that pigeonhole … only to get trapped in another.
—Will Leitch, Vulture, 8 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pigeonhole
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pigeonhole
Verb
-
There’s a lot more in the text of the Voting Rights Act that categorizes the relationship between race, political cohesion and voting power.—
AJ Willingham,
AJC.com,
1 May 2026
-
In addition to account categories and interactions based on age, the interactive gaming platform will also categorize the types of games played by age.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
How sweet the letters from Gita had been, arriving in his grad-school cubbyhole at Brooklyn Poly!—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 Mar. 2026
-
The captain instead had to remain up on the topside in the cubbyhole of his pilot house.—
Eric DuVall,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The initiative, funded by Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and other businesses, allowed gig companies to classify their workers as contractors rather than employees.—
Queenie Wong,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Royal Commissioner Virginia Bell made 14 recommendations on Thursday in her first interim report, five of which were not made public because they were classified as confidential for national security reasons.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Office renovations and conversions in Charlotte Post-COVID, office towers have to either entice people to come back to the cubicle or change uses.—
Caitlin McGlade,
Charlotte Observer,
27 Apr. 2026
-
With the Doodler, the company sought to create something to liven up the average weekday inside the office cubicle.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Qualifying for the Champions League could boost revenue by a few hundred million; being relegated could cost a team an equal (or much greater) amount.—
Eben Novy-Williams,
Sportico.com,
30 Apr. 2026
-
The club was relegated in 2019, the first time in 68 years.—
Tom Bogert,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The deep main compartment is large enough to fit even straw hats and nicer shoes without squishing them, and this trunk looks equally right in an airport or the lobby of the Carlyle Hotel, Mom’s favorite.—
Amanda Eyre Ward,
Travel + Leisure,
2 May 2026
-
The spooky environs created by production designer Til Frohlich are the stuff nightmares are made of; the murky bathtub, moldering linens and secret compartments that go bump in the night.—
Katie Walsh,
Twin Cities,
2 May 2026
Verb
-
Kareem Ruddock, 35, was identified by police as the knifeman who stabbed Rene Flores, 31, to death and wounded a 34-year-old man in the pre-dawn assault.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
2 May 2026
-
On Friday afternoon, the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the 57-year-old worker as Thomas Darcy, a Schaumburg resident.—
Claire Murphy,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
Though their niche market is pregnant women, non-moms are buying the scrubs, too, apparently for the comfort factor.—
Lisa Gutierrez
May 1,
Kansas City Star,
1 May 2026
-
Charm pricing can also get extremely niche.—
Alison J. Stein,
thehustle.co,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pigeonhole.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pigeonhole. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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