as in to classify
to arrange or assign according to type
we shouldn't compartmentalize the students into such restrictive categories as scholar and athlete, which are not mutually exclusive
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Recent Examples of compartmentalize
Swift knows the show must go on and will compartmentalize her emotions for the next 3½ hours of her marathon concert.
—
Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 12 Dec. 2025
Has that ability to compartmentalize your emotions ever not served you well?
—Outside Online, 10 Dec. 2025
But a different kind of compartmentalizing going on, yeah.
—Kate Aurthur, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025
Privacy policies and technical controls should work in tandem to redact, compartmentalize and safeguard all customer data.
—Khash Kiani, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for compartmentalize
Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 12 Dec. 2025
Has that ability to compartmentalize your emotions ever not served you well?
—Outside Online, 10 Dec. 2025
But a different kind of compartmentalizing going on, yeah.
—Kate Aurthur, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025
Privacy policies and technical controls should work in tandem to redact, compartmentalize and safeguard all customer data.
—Khash Kiani, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for compartmentalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compartmentalize
Verb
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Without that key step, you can’t be classified as a true star; the presence of those fusion reactions, where hydrogen gets fused into helium, separates stars from all other heavenly bodies.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
6 Feb. 2026
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Jurors were asked to decide whether Uber, through its branding and actions, led Dean to reasonably believe her driver was acting on Uber’s behalf — even though drivers are classified as independent contractors.—
Miguel Torres,
Oklahoman,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Chief Deputy Chris Ketteman, who ranks just below the sheriff, decides whether each complaint warrants an internal affairs investigation or can be handled by a supervisor.—
Matthew Cupelli,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
9 Feb. 2026
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His 42nd-minute strike was his second and Arsenal’s eighth league goal from outside the box this season, which ranks them third of the Premier League teams (behind Bournemouth’s 11 and Aston Villa’s 13) for that metric.—
Art de Roché,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Our family photographs depicted us in beauty, power and wholeness, rejecting every image that attempted to relegate us to a stereotype.—
Anya Sesay,
jsonline.com,
5 Feb. 2026
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Researchers have long assumed the bugs were mostly relegated to South Florida due to their need for particularly warm climates.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Since launching her Senate run in December, the progressive firebrand has distinguished herself with an unconventional campaign, eschewing traditional advice regarding key tenets of campaigning, such as fundraising and advertising output.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Feb. 2026
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This approach has distinguished thousands of individual types of brain cells, many more than previously known.—
Amber Dance,
Quanta Magazine,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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This book is categorized as Young Adult fiction, but any age can find interest and intrigue in this cast of characters.—
Amanda Favazza,
Southern Living,
6 Feb. 2026
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The food isn’t categorized under a single label.—
Timia Cobb
Breaking News Reporter,
Dallas Morning News,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Compartmentalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compartmentalize. Accessed 13 Feb. 2026.
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