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
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
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
What sets Gupta apart is his refusal to be pigeonholed.
—Ritu Upadhyay, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
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
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
What sets Gupta apart is his refusal to be pigeonholed.
—Ritu Upadhyay, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pigeonholed
Verb
-
It is criminalized, typically as reckless endangerment, but isn’t categorized in the minds of normal people as a social crime.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
8 Nov. 2025
-
The climb is categorized as AD, or moderately difficult, and usually takes five to seven days.—
Ally Jaksen,
Outside,
4 Nov. 2025
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
-
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
-
Thus far, Arsenal’s excellent form has relegated the injuries to a subplot.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
-
And that feeling of attachment, as Friedman sees it, is not relegated to vintage.—
Paige Reddinger,
Robb Report,
8 Nov. 2025
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 12 Jan. 2026.
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