as in categorized
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 pigeonholed
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
That’s hardly the only time Davis has been pigeonholed in her career.
—Galina Espinoza, Flow Space, 10 Sep. 2025
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
But Gaga has also been savvy enough not to be pigeonholed as just the avant-garde lady, though, opting for high elegance depending on the event.
—EW.com, 31 Aug. 2025
While men athletes often get pigeonholed into specific marketing lanes, women athletes naturally cross boundaries.
—Lindsey Darvin, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
What sets Gupta apart is his refusal to be pigeonholed.
—Ritu Upadhyay, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
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
That’s hardly the only time Davis has been pigeonholed in her career.
—Galina Espinoza, Flow Space, 10 Sep. 2025
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
But Gaga has also been savvy enough not to be pigeonholed as just the avant-garde lady, though, opting for high elegance depending on the event.
—EW.com, 31 Aug. 2025
While men athletes often get pigeonholed into specific marketing lanes, women athletes naturally cross boundaries.
—Lindsey Darvin, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
What sets Gupta apart is his refusal to be pigeonholed.
—Ritu Upadhyay, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pigeonholed
Verb
-
In a matter of days, the basement of a local gym was transformed into a free store, with donations categorized by volunteers.—
Elle McLogan,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
-
The number of killings investigated last year fell to 67, with 57 of those categorized as murders — excluding cases such as justifiable homicides — a total not seen since 1967, according to data compiled by this news organization.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In 2019, officers went to the home twice while their son Nick was living there — once for a call coded as a welfare check and once for a call classified as mental health–related.—
Tommy McArdle,
PEOPLE,
7 Jan. 2026
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The Justice Department issued a warrant to seize the ship over its sanctions violations for transporting oil on behalf of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is classified as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the State Department.—
Ashley Carnahan , Jennifer Griffin , Lucas Y. Tomlinson,
FOXNews.com,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
This look wasn’t relegated to the Jesus Movement scene.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026
-
By the end of last season, Kotkaniemi was often relegated to fourth-line duty, even moving to the wing as Carolina made room for Mark Jankowski.—
Cory Lavalette,
New York Times,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Per the Hindu, Das' head had been separated from his body in the attack.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
11 Jan. 2026
-
This design consists of an aluminum (Al) foil anode current collector, an S8 cathode, sodium dicyanamide (NaDCA) in a non-flammable chloroaluminate electrolyte, separated with a glass fiber.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Several recent victims were identified as Chipri Chimpi from the village of Sialjod, 40-year-old Prakash Das, and a minor boy.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
11 Jan. 2026
-
She has not yet been identified.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
11 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pigeonholed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pigeonholed. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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