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
Rebecca Aizin, PEOPLE, 29 Dec. 2025
There is a part of me that didn’t want to be pigeonholed.
—Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 14 Nov. 2025
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
Women, on the other hand, especially those in the limelight, are frequently pigeonholed into being the face of the brand or the marketing tool.
—Rebecca Aizin, PEOPLE, 29 Dec. 2025
There is a part of me that didn’t want to be pigeonholed.
—Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 14 Nov. 2025
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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Galvanizing these new efforts is the rise of machine learning techniques categorized as artificial intelligence.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
20 Feb. 2026
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Keep reading to see these picks and plenty more categorized by price, and start shopping now to help create the most magical prom experience possible.—
Kelsey Legg,
ABC News,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
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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
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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 embassy reopening plans are classified and the State Department declined to comment on details beyond confirming that the congressional notification was sent.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Feb. 2026
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According to Chase, that includes grocery stores, specialty food stores or delivery service merchants that classify as grocery store merchants.—
Ryley Amond,
CNBC,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Instead, keep your home office or cubicle looking nice and tidy by turning empty glass jars into organizers that can house everything from pens and markers to paperclips.—
Sarah Lyon,
The Spruce,
17 Feb. 2026
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The kids that sat next to each other in cubicles.—
Jennifer Van Grove,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Neither starts the series out with much in the way of prospects, with Jon the illegitimate, unacknowledged son of a Lord and Sansa relegated to the status of servant after her father is executed before her very eyes.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Feb. 2026
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But why relegate the trend to just the inside of your home?—
Shagun Khare,
Martha Stewart,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The shape and size would fit easily under your plane seat or in the overhead compartment for your next trip, too.—
Olivia Dubyak,
Travel + Leisure,
21 Feb. 2026
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Perhaps Gisèle can only process one layer or compartment at a time, beginning with what was done to her.—
Gaby Wood,
Vogue,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Like South Carolina, North Carolina and Texas don’t require reporting of hospitalizations, but epidemiologists can identify them during case investigations.—
Jennifer Berry Hawes,
CNN Money,
21 Feb. 2026
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Meridian Police Chief Tracy Basterrechea didn't identify the substance poured on the inside and outside of the ambulance.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
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So an advancement in this niche wasn't just about shaving off a few micrometers this way and that, but also about ensuring the QR code was usable over a long period of time in that tiny encoding area.—
Abhimanyu Ghoshal,
New Atlas,
20 Feb. 2026
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Also, solar recycling, battery manufacturing, green steel, green silicon, secondary aluminum and copper production aren’t niche sectors.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pigeonhole.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pigeonhole. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.
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