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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pigeonholed
It's not just pigeonholed into one spot.
—
Tax Notes Staff,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2026
That way, you’re not pigeonholed into redeeming your rewards exclusively through Delta.
—
Sarah Hostetler,
CNBC,
5 June 2026
Conversations are cut down, some couples are poised to be the favorites, while other contestants get pigeonholed as the villains.
—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
1 June 2026
The best sci-fi games are often pigeonholed into specific genres like shooters, strategy games, and RPGs, and for good reason; franchises like Mass Effect, StarCraft, and Half-Life are all-time classics.
—
Keith Langston,
Space.com,
31 May 2026
German actors abroad are often pigeonholed as villains.
—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
17 May 2026
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
Tax Notes Staff,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2026
That way, you’re not pigeonholed into redeeming your rewards exclusively through Delta.
—
Sarah Hostetler,
CNBC,
5 June 2026
Conversations are cut down, some couples are poised to be the favorites, while other contestants get pigeonholed as the villains.
—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
1 June 2026
The best sci-fi games are often pigeonholed into specific genres like shooters, strategy games, and RPGs, and for good reason; franchises like Mass Effect, StarCraft, and Half-Life are all-time classics.
—
Keith Langston,
Space.com,
31 May 2026
German actors abroad are often pigeonholed as villains.
—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
17 May 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pigeonholed
Verb
-
History has since categorized Watergate as a defining example of government accountability and congressional oversight of presidential power.
-
Supermassive black holes that are consuming matter are categorized as active, whereas supermassive black holes that do not consume matter are known as inactive or quiescent.
Verb
-
This case has now been classified as inactive.
-
The project has been classified as a top priority by Zuckerberg and is just one of the many apps the company is reportedly developing in response to emerging trends.
Verb
-
They are relegated to atmosphere, anecdote, trace, background hum.
-
By the next year, the Challenge Cup had become a preseason tournament, already relegated to a competition without a clear purpose within the NWSL hierarchy.
Verb
-
In a place where many homes lean into glass, driftwood tones and a conventional layout, this one sprawls like a resort, with sleeping quarters separated into individual pavilion-like structures.
-
While first stage successfully separated, the second stage engine did not get it into orbit.
Verb
-
Researchers identified large carbon-bearing molecules inside two mudstone samples collected in Jezero Crater, an area believed to have hosted a lake billions of years ago.
-
In another instance, investigators identified a gray button on a test-taker's shirt as a concealed camera.
Cite this Entry
“Pigeonholed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pigeonholed. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.
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