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
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
Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 5 Aug. 2025
Lindsay Lohan, best known for her roles in Mean Girls and 1998’s The Parent Trap, opened up about how her time growing up in Hollywood led her to feel pigeonholed into certain types of roles in lieu of more highbrow fare.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 2 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pigeonhole
Verb
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
Noun
We were really set on wanting this movie to have a certain amount of comedy timelessness, and so not getting pigeonholed in any one specific was really important for us.
—Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 5 Aug. 2025
Lindsay Lohan, best known for her roles in Mean Girls and 1998’s The Parent Trap, opened up about how her time growing up in Hollywood led her to feel pigeonholed into certain types of roles in lieu of more highbrow fare.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 2 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pigeonhole
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pigeonhole
Verb
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Often overlooked and also categorized with fetishism (also known as axilism), armpits are sensitive to both light and firm touch.—
Essence,
Essence,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Planet’s history of volatility, ongoing unprofitability, and fierce competition categorize this as a high-risk, high-reward investment.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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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
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The narrow, shaded Via Santa Maria della Pietà is Neapolitan-esque in its air of ancient mystery, with big arched doorways to houses and glimpses into tiny barber shops and a cubbyhole tattoo parlor.—
Rebecca Ann Hughes,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2025
Verb
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Forbes classifies Ellison–who bought nearly all of the Hawaiian island Lanai for $300 million in 2012–as a California resident based on his voter registration.—
Ella Malmgren,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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Arguing that relocation can stem the loss of biodiversity, the government has classified some islands used by Nicobarese tribals as wildlife sanctuaries.—
M. Rajshekhar,
Time,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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My office is a glass cubicle with views of the entire floor.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Sep. 2025
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PinkPantheress radically reimagined her own songs and stuffed a full band into a cubicle for her Tiny Desk Concert, which NPR Music shared Friday.—
Daniel Kreps,
Rolling Stone,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The basket of other updates will be relegated to an omni quarterly update.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
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To make room, the 2025–26 campaign will promote two teams from the second tier while relegating just one through a new playoff system.—
Asli Pelit,
New York Times,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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This hanging toiletry bag has a spacious interior with multiple easy-to-clean compartments and an impressive near-five-star rating on Amazon.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
12 Sep. 2025
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The team found a set of proteins called glycolytic enzymes that actually relocate nearby and inside mitochondria—compartments in cells where critical metabolic processes occur—when cells experience stress.—
Hannah Millington,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The suspect in the shooting, identified as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was arrested on Friday night after his father recognized him from surveillance images and video released by investigators, authorities said.—
Bill Hutchinson,
ABC News,
15 Sep. 2025
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Some of the information inadvertently made public in this way included names and email addresses, meaning the participants of the chat could be identified.—
Bernard Marr,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Maybach’s 4-liter twin-turbo V8 is built on AMG’s one-man/one-engine niche assembly line.—
Mark Ewing,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
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The lower forecasts stem from the philosophy that the audience for this movie is niche-focused, limited to Demon Slayer devotees, and that no audience expansion is possible.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pigeonhole.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pigeonhole. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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