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
Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 2025
When someone is known primarily for reliability, colleagues unconsciously pigeonhole them.
—Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Will Leitch, Vulture, 8 Feb. 2025
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
After making Dances With Wolves, Greene told his agents to pursue other types of projects to ensure he wasn’t pigeonholed as a performer.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 2025
When someone is known primarily for reliability, colleagues unconsciously pigeonhole them.
—Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Noun
And to his credit, Leitch escapes that pigeonhole … only to get trapped in another.
—Will Leitch, Vulture, 8 Feb. 2025
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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The ideology of the groups appears to categorize anyone not subscribing to their extremist views as infidels, whether Muslims or Christians.—
Tom O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
-
The climb is categorized as AD, or moderately difficult, and usually takes five to seven days.—
Ally Jaksen,
Outside,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The captain instead had to remain up on the topside in the cubbyhole of his pilot house.—
Eric DuVall,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Sep. 2025
-
There’s also a theater room with low-level, dimmable lighting; beanbags; and a cubbyhole with a cushioned area.—
Jen Malia,
Curbed,
20 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The ratings group classifies 17 Republican Senate seats as solid Republican, with only two likely Republican and one as leans Republican.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
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Furthermore, policymakers and procurement officials now classify technologies by urgency.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Decorations were abound in cubicles, offices and green rooms, and snack carts were set up around almost every quarter.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Oct. 2025
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Three men shared this cubicle—Qing Yuan during the night shift, Qi Chu the morning, and Lao Jia the afternoon.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Thus far, Arsenal’s excellent form has relegated the injuries to a subplot.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
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And that feeling of attachment, as Friedman sees it, is not relegated to vintage.—
Paige Reddinger,
Robb Report,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
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That breaks down as 30 by the back door landing on bags of beans and rice; 40 by the three-compartment sink and dry storage shelves, landing on spices and dirty dishes; 10 by a kitchen prep table; 10 under another prep table; 10 by the walk-in freezer and steam table; and two by the front counter.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
-
The facility had no sanitizer in the sanitizing compartment of the dishwashing sink.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Witnesses said a silver Ford sedan fled the scene, and detectives later identified the driver as 57-year-old Humberto Munoz Gatica of Laguna Niguel, according to The Register.—
Greg Wehner , Bill Melugin,
FOXNews.com,
10 Nov. 2025
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The Tarrant County Medical Examiner will publicly identify the person who died.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Nov. 2025
Noun
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At a moment of increasing niche-ification of the news media business, Axel Springer is running in the opposite direction.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
10 Nov. 2025
-
From there, the native New Yorker found a niche with quintessential New York filmmakers.—
Maggie Fremont,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pigeonhole.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pigeonhole. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
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