as in categorizing
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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Recent Examples of pigeonholing
McCurdy cautions against classifying Holiday as a blues singer and pigeonholing her into an age and culture.
—
Daniella Walsh, Oc Register, 21 Mar. 2026
The researchers, led by Arne Güllich of RPTU Kaiserlautern-Landau in Germany, noted that prodigies often specialized in a single discipline, pigeonholing themselves in a particular field early in life.
—Jake Angelo, Fortune, 9 Jan. 2026
The broader appeal and usefulness of the Dashaway eCT are just too dramatic to dedicate more time pigeonholing himself into a restrictive niche.
—New Atlas, 28 Oct. 2025
Leibovitz has always resisted pigeonholing.
—Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Daniella Walsh, Oc Register, 21 Mar. 2026
The researchers, led by Arne Güllich of RPTU Kaiserlautern-Landau in Germany, noted that prodigies often specialized in a single discipline, pigeonholing themselves in a particular field early in life.
—Jake Angelo, Fortune, 9 Jan. 2026
The broader appeal and usefulness of the Dashaway eCT are just too dramatic to dedicate more time pigeonholing himself into a restrictive niche.
—New Atlas, 28 Oct. 2025
Leibovitz has always resisted pigeonholing.
—Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pigeonholing
Verb
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McCarrell said about half of the archive’s materials were well-organized ahead of the impending closure announcement, but categorizing what remains has been largely left up to him.—
Olivia Stevens,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2026
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In these years, children are so good at categorizing, memorizing, and imagining that passionate time travel comes easily.—
Elena Megalos,
Longreads,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The International Astronomical Union (IAU) is the organization responsible for classifying celestial bodies.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
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Isaacman is referring to the American astronomer who discovered Pluto in 1930, classifying it as a planet.—
Frank Landymore,
Futurism,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In fairness to Wyle, going all in on a night-shift season would turn The Pitt into an entirely different show, and relegating it to a spinoff would probably mean getting less night shift on The Pitt proper and no one wants that.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2026
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Boomer Esiason, the 1988 NFL MVP, was traded from the Cincinnati Bengals to the Jets in 1993, relegating Nagle to a reserve role.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Charles’s timing makes the benefits of separating those roles more obvious.—
Erin Vanderhoof,
Vanity Fair,
26 Apr. 2026
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The couple sat in a vestibule inside the Aurora immigration detention facility on a Saturday in March, staring at each other through the glass barrier separating the incarcerated from the free.—
Elizabeth Hernandez,
Denver Post,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Colombia’s Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences said specialists including dentists, anthropologists and forensic doctors are identifying the victims.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2026
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Residents identifying themselves as Democrats, who made up 48% of the polling sample, held a 44% favorable view of Johnson, while 35% viewed him unfavorably.—
Rick Pearson,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pigeonholing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pigeonholing. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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