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 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
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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The industry says classifying EWA as a loan could have the perverse effect of sending consumers back to higher-cost, risky alternatives such as payday loans or pawn shops by imposing unnecessary restrictions, such as mandatory fees, interest charges and credit reporting requirements.—
Cheryl Winokur Munk,
CNBC,
27 Feb. 2026
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His team uses taxonomy — the science of naming and classifying species — to formalize new names from field notes.—
Hanna Wickes,
Charlotte Observer,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But high-ranking officials have offered statements dripping with obscurity.—
Danya Gainor,
CNN Money,
7 Mar. 2026
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Chávez earned his ticket to the Paralympics last November after skiing fast enough at a competition in Norway to place him at the ranking necessary to directly qualify for the Winter Games in Milan.—
Nicole Acevedo,
NBC news,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But OpenAI can’t weigh in on individual use cases for its technology, Altman said, such as distinguishing which specific military operations might be considered good or bad.—
Hadas Gold,
CNN Money,
4 Mar. 2026
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Tracing the evolution of storytelling from hunter-gatherer campfires and medieval printing presses to VR and AI, Ashton identifies a number of developments that can be expected to carry on into the future, among them the increasing difficulty of distinguishing fact from fiction.—
Tim Brinkhof,
Big Think,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Thurmon loves grouping similar hues together.—
Lauren David,
Southern Living,
27 Feb. 2026
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Last year Haworth Lifestyle revealed reorganization plans, grouping companies under its umbrella into divisions.—
Sofia Celeste,
Footwear News,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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James Borrego had been utilizing a big lineup, relegating Jeremiah Fears to a reserve role, but Fears played 30 minutes in each of the past two contests.—
Stan Son,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2026
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Embracing those expectations rather than fighting them, Kok extended her two-year-plus unbeaten streak at her sport’s shortest distance Sunday, adding a gold medal and the Olympic record to her world mark, beating Jackson head-to-head in the final heat and relegating Leerdam to the silver.—
Howard Fendrich,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Investigators are also not categorizing the case as any particular type of crime at this stage, according to a federal law enforcement source with knowledge of the investigation.—
Liz Kreutz,
NBC news,
16 Feb. 2026
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Budgeting apps like Empower and Monarch connect to your bank account and credit cards, automatically tracking and categorizing your transactions.—
Jasmin Suknanan,
CNBC,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The line separating the two is blurry, as both star types experience winds and ejecta before dying.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
9 Mar. 2026
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While Trump officials say the current deportation surge is succeeding in rooting out dangerous criminals, immigrant advocates have decried the crackdown for separating families and sending people back to countries where their lives may be in danger.—
Ethan Varian,
Mercury News,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In addition to sorting laundry by color, keep the material in mind.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
4 Mar. 2026
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After trucks dump materials, two conveyors transport items through a sorting process where nonrecyclable materials are removed from the line.—
Megan Vaz,
Sun Sentinel,
24 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Compartmentalizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compartmentalizing. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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