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
Hamill could not always avoid being pigeonholed.
—
Sanat Pai Raikar, Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 Mar. 2026
Executives had pigeonholed her as a rom-com queen.
—New York Times, 14 Mar. 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
Seattle’s assimilation of so many players that had previously been underestimated or counted out or pigeonholed, though — starting with former Jets first-round quarterback Sam Darnold — into such a dominant whole is rare.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 9 Feb. 2026
But Burns doesn’t want to be pigeonholed into that description.
—Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 15 Jan. 2026
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
Sanat Pai Raikar, Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 Mar. 2026
Executives had pigeonholed her as a rom-com queen.
—New York Times, 14 Mar. 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
Seattle’s assimilation of so many players that had previously been underestimated or counted out or pigeonholed, though — starting with former Jets first-round quarterback Sam Darnold — into such a dominant whole is rare.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 9 Feb. 2026
But Burns doesn’t want to be pigeonholed into that description.
—Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 15 Jan. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pigeonholed
Verb
-
Much of the northwest corner of the state was categorized as in exceptional drought — the most severe category used by the monitor.—
Elise Schmelzer,
Denver Post,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Names were changed, and the story was technically categorized as fiction.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But those numbers capture only a fraction of deaths, which often are classified only by other, more immediate causes, such as bleeding in the brain.—
Lee Hutchinson,
ArsTechnica,
6 May 2026
-
The outlier is energy consumption with the average per garment being 1,90 kWh, which is classified as low impact.—
Angela Velasquez,
Footwear News,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
As High Point’s coach, his team won the 2024 Big South regular-season title but lost in the conference tournament and was relegated to the College Basketball Invitational.—
Eric Olson,
Chicago Tribune,
8 May 2026
-
Wolves are already relegated, so have nothing to play for and Newcastle have also been poor this season.—
Abdul Rehman,
New York Times,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
The neighborhood/area Amankora's lodges sit across five of Bhutan's most iconic valleys, carved into the eastern Himalayas and separated by high mountain passes.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
6 May 2026
-
Data from Flightradar24 cited by ABC7 shows the planes were separated by about 475 feet vertically as their paths crossed.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
Witnesses and the victim identified Anderson as the shooter, but he was already gone.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
7 May 2026
-
Police identified the deceased woman as Avianna Smith-Gray.—
Hannah Schoenbaum,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pigeonholed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pigeonholed. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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