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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The case is the first time the Justice Department has attempted to classify critical speech from prominent Trump detractors as a crime.—
Jeremy Roebuck,
Washington Post,
13 Feb. 2026
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Commercial prediction markets have resisted efforts by states to classify and regulate them as gambling companies, insisting that they — like their precursor in Iowa — should be overseen by federal regulators.—
Suzy Khimm,
NBC news,
13 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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To categorize Mutiny is tricky, but many will no doubt come with their glass ceilings to try.—
Alex Suskind,
Pitchfork,
13 Feb. 2026
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At the federal level, the EPA recently clarified gray areas of the law and said these turbines can't be categorized as temporary non-road engines.—
Lora Kolodny,
CNBC,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Compartmentalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compartmentalize. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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