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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The team began sorting through possible origins for this high-energy neutrino particle by acting like cosmic forensic detectives, classifying the detection of the particle as a crime scene and hunting for potential clues that point toward a culprit.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
28 May 2026
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Researchers debuted an inventory for classifying apocalyptic belief, comprising anthropogenic causality, theogenic causality, imminence, personal control, and the question of whether the end is a good or bad thing.—
Wyatt Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
26 May 2026
Verb
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With their power ranking for the playoffs and their youth, the Diablos carried the profile of an underdog.—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
31 May 2026
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Justice Department lawyers asked Eaton to allow one or two of Scott’s deputies to appear in his place, arguing that as a high-ranking presidential appointee, the CBP chief could not be compelled to testify in court.—
Mae Anderson,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
Verb
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This isn’t to say any of these teams would have challenged eventual champion LSU; the point is that distinguishing between teams 10 and 20 for inclusion in a 16-team CFP is virtually impossible.—
Scott Dochterman,
New York Times,
1 June 2026
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The first distinguishing feature is the nature of the problem being attacked.—
Ethan Stone,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
Verb
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This plan included a prohibition on shark finning -- the process of removing shark fins at sea and discarding the rest of the shark -- and grouping sharks into different complexes to simplify the management of dozens of species.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
1 June 2026
-
Not having a clear system or grouping like items together.—
Ashlyn Needham,
The Spruce,
28 May 2026
Verb
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Decades ago, two six-year-olds went missing for thirty-six hours, sparking a media frenzy that they had been briefly abducted by UFOs but eventually relegating them to a pop cultural punchline.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 June 2026
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And in his rookie season the opposing offense ran at him consistently, relegating him to a pass rusher.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
13 May 2026
Verb
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Traditional budgeting apps often require a lot more manual input on your part, such as entering your income and categorizing your expenses.—
Rebecca Safier,
USA Today,
1 June 2026
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Yet that’s exactly what the DOJ has done by categorizing applicants and their test scores solely by race.—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
20 May 2026
Verb
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The security perimeter kept demonstrators at a distance from the facility, with barricades and checkpoints separating roughly 100 protesters from the detention center.—
Adam Reiss,
NBC news,
31 May 2026
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Historical memory is hugely helpful in separating false promises from sincere innovation, and that should make living legends ideal for steadying progress.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
31 May 2026
Verb
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That also includes improving other design choices such as better material labeling, use of non-carbon black pigments and limiting multi-material and complex attachment disruptors to improve sorting accuracy.—
Jennifer Bringle,
Footwear News,
3 June 2026
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Target employs 9,300 people across 45 stores in Colorado, as well as at a dry goods distribution facility in Pueblo and a sorting center in Denver.—
Aldo Svaldi,
Denver Post,
31 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Compartmentalizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compartmentalizing. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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