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
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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
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Whether the law survives looming legal challenges—rooted in a 1933 state Supreme Court ruling classifying income as property—remains an open question.—
Catherina Gioino,
Fortune,
3 Apr. 2026
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By classifying sports betting as a public health issue and imposing rigid federal standards, the proposal also significantly limits the autonomy of the states, which have been primarily responsible for the legalization and regulation of this sector since 2018.—
Cláudia Nunes,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Alejandro Boyco, a researcher at the Institute of Peruvian Studies, said the Senate will appoint and sanction high-ranking officials, including the country’s ombudsman, Constitutional Court members and some central bank directors.—
Regina Garcia Cano,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
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Engel served as ranking member and chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee in the final years of his tenure.—
Mark Prussin,
CBS News,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Experts emphasize the importance of distinguishing between a true buffalo hump and other conditions.—
Deirdre Bardolf,
FOXNews.com,
12 Apr. 2026
-
For example, they might be classified by the number of rulers, thus distinguishing government by one (as in a monarchy or a tyranny) from government by the few (in an aristocracy or oligarchy) and from government by the many (as in a democracy).—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Consider grouping similar items together when organizing kitchen tools or decor.—
Wendy Rose Gould,
Martha Stewart,
7 Apr. 2026
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Gene and Katie Hamilton Tribune Content Agency Designers tell us that an attractive way to showcase a collection is by grouping them together on a wall shelf to call attention to the display.—
Tribune Content Agency,
Baltimore Sun,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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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In these years, children are so good at categorizing, memorizing, and imagining that passionate time travel comes easily.—
Elena Megalos,
Longreads,
31 Mar. 2026
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The town clerk was commended by the Broward state attorney for excellence for updating, electronically scanning and categorizing town files after much neglect.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Removing barriers The new facility seeks to provide more dignity for clients and remove barriers that keep victims from separating themselves from harmful environments, Mortensen said.—
Elliot Mann,
Twin Cities,
19 Apr. 2026
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A lot of people have a hard time separating the actor from the character.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The same facility that employs workers sorting packages before sunrise is testing the technology that may eventually change what that shift looks like entirely.—
Rey Covarrubias Jr,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
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Residents could have to take on such tasks as staffing doors, sorting packages, mopping hallways, sweeping sidewalks and hauling trash to the curb.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Compartmentalizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compartmentalizing. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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