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.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
-
When space is tight, being able to compress and categorize your clothes makes everything feel a little less chaotic.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Jain is not even convinced that BTSP should be categorized as a non-Hebbian type of learning.—
Yasemin Saplakoglu,
Quanta Magazine,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
How sweet the letters from Gita had been, arriving in his grad-school cubbyhole at Brooklyn Poly!—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 Mar. 2026
-
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
Verb
-
He was charged with battery and burglary of an unoccupied dwelling in September 2023, and with battery that May — both classified in court records as misdemeanors.—
Claudia Lauer,
Sun Sentinel,
24 Apr. 2026
-
The species is classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, a classification that reflects both the remaining threats facing the animals and the significant progress conservation efforts have made.—
Hanna Wickes,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The interior renovation includes converting the office cubicles into approximately 399 apartments and 200 hotel rooms.—
Desiree Mathurin
April 8,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Apr. 2026
-
With the Doodler, the company sought to create something to liven up the average weekday inside the office cubicle.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Burnley lost and were relegated to the Championship.—
Nnamdi Onyeagwara,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2026
-
And the emotions weren’t relegated to the end, as the premise of the show often found the pair covering high drama from their lives, pop culture, famous friends and more.—
Chris Gardner,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
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,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The attendant and one of the passengers worked together at prying open the baggage compartment door while the other passenger crawled around the floor, searching in the thick smoke for a cellphone to try to use as a flashlight, according to the statement transcripts.—
Angie DiMichele,
Sun Sentinel,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Additional details were not immediately available, and the homeowner declined to be identified or comment further.—
Ashley Mackin Solomon,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Police identified Delgado-Cordoba as a suspect through his rideshare profile, social media and DNA.—
Katie Langford,
Denver Post,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The 44% theory Steve Dittmore admits that his research interest, the relationship of athletics and enrollment at small colleges, falls pretty far outside of the mainstream, even in the already-niche world of sports and higher ed.—
Mark Dent,
thehustle.co,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Over a yearslong process, Apple went from having a single one-size-fits-all iPad to offering a different model for just about every conceivable niche.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pigeonhole.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pigeonhole. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
