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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Like Wright’s past games, this one would be about tinkering, about trial and error, about classifying and reclassifying and watching as one’s psyche-map changed.—
Eric Boodman,
Vulture,
25 Mar. 2026
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That includes House Bill 1117, which would require Maryland Medicaid and other state programs to cover monitoring devices by classifying them as medical equipment for individuals at higher risk of elopement.—
Danielle J. Brown,
Baltimore Sun,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Rules Committee ranking member Jim McGovern (D-MA) blasted Republicans for bypassing typical House procedure and not giving the Senate deal a vote during the committee’s last-minute, Friday afternoon hearing.—
Rachel Schilke,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Mar. 2026
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After removing three high-ranking deputies from the command staff, the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office has announced new promotions to assistant sheriff.—
Milena Malaver,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Only service dogs wearing distinguishing markers are allowed at the park.—
Jasmine Mendez
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Mar. 2026
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Real-world experiments will need to tackle significant challenges, especially distinguishing the signal from various sources of noise that can also affect photon frequencies.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Embrace a design strategy that focuses on grouping plants in drifts or mass plantings.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
10 Mar. 2026
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Thurmon loves grouping similar hues together.—
Lauren David,
Southern Living,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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What more could Long Rife have accomplished in a world that has pushed women’s basketball to the front, instead of relegating it to a sideshow?—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
28 Mar. 2026
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The polarizing Le Pen qualified for the second-round runoff against Chirac, the incumbent and first-round winner, by a whisker, relegating Jospin to third place.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Then, by categorizing values by risk, the platform can reportedly identify high-value customers, first-time buyers, return abusers and fraudsters.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Sourcing Journal,
18 Mar. 2026
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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
Verb
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One thing to keep in mind is that the bathrooms are open-concept, flowing into the bedroom and living area with no door separating the sink/vanity.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Mar. 2026
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And the optimization discipline to match it —Agentic Web Optimization — is already separating winners from the rest.—
Aviv Shamny,
Fortune,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Molly Pierce, a spokesperson for the Oahu Emergency Management Agency, said that in addition to volunteers and public workers who have been cleaning up, a contract company had arrived to begin collecting, sorting and removing large piles of debris.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Mar. 2026
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Between writing job descriptions, sorting applications, scheduling interviews, running background checks and making offers, what feels like a two-week process routinely stretches into multiple months.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Compartmentalizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compartmentalizing. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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