as in to categorize
disapproving
to unfairly think of or describe (someone or something) as belonging to only a certain category
She likes to perform different types of music because she doesn't want to be pigeonholed.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pigeonhole
Tom Vitale, NPR, 9 Feb. 2025
Skill positions Teams never want to pigeonhole themselves in a draft.
—Paul Dehner Jr., New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
Will Leitch, Vulture, 24 June 2024
And even those films starring endlessly reincarnating supernatural psycho slashers chasing nubile coeds aren’t so simple to pigeonhole politically.
—David Colman, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for pigeonhole
Verb
As a result, critics tended to pigeonhole him as a trippy hippy.
—Tom Vitale, NPR, 9 Feb. 2025
Skill positions Teams never want to pigeonhole themselves in a draft.
—Paul Dehner Jr., New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
Noun
And to his credit, Leitch escapes that pigeonhole … only to get trapped in another.
—Will Leitch, Vulture, 24 June 2024
And even those films starring endlessly reincarnating supernatural psycho slashers chasing nubile coeds aren’t so simple to pigeonhole politically.
—David Colman, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for pigeonhole
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pigeonhole
Verb
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According to a GoFundMe page set up in her name, Phelan was eventually diagnosed with a grade 4 malignant brain tumor that was categorized as a glioma, a growth of cells that starts in the brain or spinal cord, according to the Mayo Clinic.—
Skyler Caruso,
People.com,
26 May 2025
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The researchers categorized species by class and climate change risks, designated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.—
Sharon Udasin,
The Hill,
20 May 2025
Noun
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Having moved nearly four years ago from a 15,000-square-foot warehouse in Williamsburg to a street-level cubbyhole on the side of 30 Rock, Rough Trade finally has some room to spread out in the Art Deco complex.—
Matthew Sedacca,
Curbed,
11 Apr. 2025
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Image Image The center is visible from the street through a glass entrance opening to a wide corridor and wall of custom shelving with cubbyholes, pegboards and stools designed by the architect Koray Duman.—
Hilarie M. Sheets,
New York Times,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Birders and organizations such as the American Ornithological Society have always classified them as separate species.—
Elay Shech,
The Conversation,
30 May 2025
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Some would impose net neutrality requirements or classify ISPs as utilities, the filing said.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
30 May 2025
Noun
-
Its characters and their cubicles took over Grand Central Station — and the internet — for two days.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
29 May 2025
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As a condition of his probation, el-Fattah, who had a seven-year-old son, had to present himself at six o’clock every evening at his local police station, in the district of Dokki, and spend the night in a wooden cubicle in the courtyard.—
Sam Knight,
New Yorker,
23 May 2025
Verb
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The subtle hum of intricate mechanics, the remarkably articulate gesture of a synthetic limb, the disquieting echo of human movement – humanoid robots are no longer relegated to the realm of fiction.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2025
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By 2022, invasion rhetoric, which had previously been relegated to white nationalist circles, had become such a staple of Republican campaign ads that most of the public agreed an invasion of the U.S. via the southern border was underway.—
Molly Redden,
ProPublica,
23 May 2025
Noun
-
There’s a programming button located in the battery compartment of the remote that's used in conjunction with a pairing button on the motor to pair the two and set custom stopping points when raising and lowering it.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
25 May 2025
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Ars Video Investigators determined the cause of the January failure was a series of fuel leaks and fires in the ship's aft compartment.—
John Timmer,
ArsTechnica,
22 May 2025
Verb
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The couples who were separated in the show — like Jack and Kate, Desmond and Penny and Sawyer and Juliet — all reunited in those flashes.—
Julie Tremaine,
People.com,
23 May 2025
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The two are separated by an Interstate 95 overpass and the complex intersection of South Miami Avenue, South Dixie Highway, Brickell Avenue and Southwest 26th Road.—
Andres Viglucci,
Miami Herald,
23 May 2025
Noun
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Ryan Jeffers praised the veteran’s ability to successfully find a niche in a new clubhouse.—
Dan Hayes,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
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Getting in front of your audience early and asking about their real pain points is one of the smartest ways to refine your niche and build a brand that truly resonates.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pigeonhole.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pigeonhole. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
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