as in classifying
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of compartmentalizing
The duality applies to the whole team, which has seemingly mastered compartmentalizing its fun side and its serious side, tapping into one personality or the other on command.
—
Haley Sawyer, Daily News, 28 Mar. 2026
The premise isn’t without its intriguing ideas, too, like how dating-app technology has had a broader compartmentalizing effect on monogamous relationships in general.
—Andy Andersen, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2026
Also, this team had been good all season at compartmentalizing and being unmoved by things outside their control.
—Dianna Russini, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2026
But Knife is careful to avoid giving the assailant too much space in the narrative, as if compartmentalizing his role was somehow a necessary part of the writer’s rehabilitation.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 25 Jan. 2026
But a different kind of compartmentalizing going on, yeah.
—Kate Aurthur, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025
Instead of compartmentalizing passion and profession, some workers are finding that one can meaningfully enhance the other.
—Michael Hansen, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Haley Sawyer, Daily News, 28 Mar. 2026
The premise isn’t without its intriguing ideas, too, like how dating-app technology has had a broader compartmentalizing effect on monogamous relationships in general.
—Andy Andersen, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2026
Also, this team had been good all season at compartmentalizing and being unmoved by things outside their control.
—Dianna Russini, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2026
But Knife is careful to avoid giving the assailant too much space in the narrative, as if compartmentalizing his role was somehow a necessary part of the writer’s rehabilitation.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 25 Jan. 2026
But a different kind of compartmentalizing going on, yeah.
—Kate Aurthur, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025
Instead of compartmentalizing passion and profession, some workers are finding that one can meaningfully enhance the other.
—Michael Hansen, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compartmentalizing
Verb
-
Rising costs already limit access to higher education for many, and recent federal policies incorrectly classifying nursing as a nonprofessional degree will only further restrict access to financing for nursing school applicants.—
Nicholas A. Giordano,
STAT,
8 May 2026
-
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) is the organization responsible for classifying celestial bodies.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Christopher Cann Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday said in a public address that a strike on the Lebanese capital of Beirut killed a high-ranking Hezbollah commander.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
-
An email obtained by the Herald shows that in January 2025, high-ranking Hialeah officials, including Lynskey, the city attorney and Bovo’s chief of staff, were in discussions with HSA on how to proceed with water payments, including whether the city should bill HSA for Steward’s overdue balances.—
Verónica Egui Brito,
Miami Herald,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
The second distinguishing feature of liveblogs is their tone of voice, which is often dialogic in nature.—
Daniel Jackson,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Technology enables simultaneous production of hydrogen The team also pointed out that this technology enables the simultaneous production of hydrogen and chemical feedstocks such as formate, distinguishing it from conventional water electrolysis processes that produce only hydrogen.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Rather than grouping artists around a theme, curator Miguel Rodez invited each participant to work within the circular format while maintaining their own visual language.—
Miguel Sirgado,
Miami Herald,
6 May 2026
-
One approach is to organize agendas more intentionally, grouping high-interest items separately and allocating more time where community impact is greatest.—
Steve Scauzillo,
Daily News,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
Clearly, the longer the conflict continues, the greater its impact will be, not just on the travel industry directly, but also because a global supply chain shortage will drive up the cost of living, relegating travel to a nice-to-have rather than a given this summer.—
Alex Ledsom,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2026
-
Lomax, after becoming chairman of the department of English, retaliates, assigning Stoner grueling teaching schedules and relegating him to teaching repetitive freshman composition and sophomore survey courses.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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
-
Next, Butac arranges a bunch of the beans on two trays and roasts them for a specific amount of time before separating the shells from the beans and then running the bean fragments, also known as nibs, through a mill.—
Ari Daniel,
NPR,
10 May 2026
-
Still, robotics has a long history of inflated expectations, making many executives cautious about separating breakthrough potential from hype.—
Dr. Jonathan Reichental,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
Koroi is working towards a zero-waste model, whereby waste will be trucked to a sorting facility and 80-85% of it will be recycled or upcycled.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
6 May 2026
-
Haylie Duff is happy to help out by sorting fresh produce at Feeding America in Austin Texas.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Compartmentalizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compartmentalizing. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
