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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Recent Examples of pigeonhole
Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 24 Feb. 2026
At 46, Kate Hudson has secured a Best Actress Oscar nomination for Song Sung Blue, marking a dramatic career shift 25 years after her first nomination and years of being pigeonholed as Hollywood’s rom-com leading lady.
—Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 24 Feb. 2026
Jim Cramer, CNBC, 13 Apr. 2025
And to his credit, Leitch escapes that pigeonhole … only to get trapped in another.
—Will Leitch, Vulture, 8 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pigeonhole
Verb
In its opening moments, Blasé Saint seems easy to pigeonhole.
—Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 24 Feb. 2026
At 46, Kate Hudson has secured a Best Actress Oscar nomination for Song Sung Blue, marking a dramatic career shift 25 years after her first nomination and years of being pigeonholed as Hollywood’s rom-com leading lady.
—Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 24 Feb. 2026
Noun
Dover is a company made up of a portfolio of different end markets and should not be held to a data center pigeonhole.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 13 Apr. 2025
And to his credit, Leitch escapes that pigeonhole … only to get trapped in another.
—Will Leitch, Vulture, 8 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pigeonhole
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pigeonhole
Verb
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It should have been categorized as a suspicious death and treated as such.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
8 May 2026
-
Governments still may fly flags that are not categorized as religious, political or ideological.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
During the decades with Cox at the helm of the Braves, the smell of cigar smoke became familiar, wafting from the home dugout on early afternoons at old Fulton County Stadium or from a cubbyhole next to the home dugout at Turner Field.—
David O'Brien,
New York Times,
9 May 2026
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How sweet the letters from Gita had been, arriving in his grad-school cubbyhole at Brooklyn Poly!—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Another pair of wins from KPop Demon Hunters, which are attached to the evil boy band Saja Boys, cracked the top 10 as well, and several members – the group is made up of Andrew Choi, Neckwav, Danny Chung, Kevin Woo and Samuil Lee – are usually classified as K-pop artists.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
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Final thoughts For context, my backyard sky falls somewhere between 7 and 8 on the Bortle scale, a nine-level system used by astronomers to classify the brightness of the night sky and the impact of light pollution.—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
From 1980 to 2014, conservation research papers based on fieldwork dropped by 20 percent whereas research done by data analysts and modellers rolling around in cubicles increased by at least sixfold.—
John Reid,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2026
-
Office renovations and conversions in Charlotte Post-COVID, office towers have to either entice people to come back to the cubicle or change uses.—
Caitlin McGlade,
Charlotte Observer,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The film plays out like a tale where too much has been relegated to the margins and left between the cuts, where the performances shine but their emotional foundations have been laid in reverse.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
14 May 2026
-
Parikh is just one of many election deniers who were long relegated to the fringe and are now—with Trump back in office and still not over his electoral defeat six years ago—embedded inside the government.—
Shane Harris,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
The hot water at the three compartment sink was measured below proper hot water temperatures.—
Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado
May 8,
Sacbee.com,
8 May 2026
-
Cascading system failures would lead to a race against time to seal compartments and preserve breathable air, though decompression would often happen too quickly for the crew to react.—
Alan Bradley,
Space.com,
8 May 2026
Verb
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Responding officers with the Memphis Police Department later identified Dunmars as the driver of the Jeep Cherokee involved in the incident.—
Angelique Brenes,
PEOPLE,
16 May 2026
-
This marks Congo’s 17th recorded Ebola outbreak since the virus was first identified in the country in 1976.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
16 May 2026
Noun
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Her endorsement, paired with research on how the blankets affect stress hormones, has helped turn a once-niche sleep accessory into a mainstream wellness staple.—
Samantha Agate,
Kansas City Star,
15 May 2026
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Other clinics have carved out their own niches.—
Hanna Wickes,
Charlotte Observer,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pigeonhole.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pigeonhole. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
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