as in categorizing
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 pigeonholing
Whether your perception of Gen Z is shaped by real-world interactions or two-dimensional headlines, pigeonholing a whole generation is reductive.
—
Alex Cooper, Fortune, 16 May 2026
McCurdy cautions against classifying Holiday as a blues singer and pigeonholing her into an age and culture.
—Daniella Walsh, Oc Register, 21 Mar. 2026
The broader appeal and usefulness of the Dashaway eCT are just too dramatic to dedicate more time pigeonholing himself into a restrictive niche.
—New Atlas, 28 Oct. 2025
Leibovitz has always resisted pigeonholing.
—Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Alex Cooper, Fortune, 16 May 2026
McCurdy cautions against classifying Holiday as a blues singer and pigeonholing her into an age and culture.
—Daniella Walsh, Oc Register, 21 Mar. 2026
The broader appeal and usefulness of the Dashaway eCT are just too dramatic to dedicate more time pigeonholing himself into a restrictive niche.
—New Atlas, 28 Oct. 2025
Leibovitz has always resisted pigeonholing.
—Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pigeonholing
Verb
-
The reforms also open up the possibility of categorizing gangs and drug cartels as terrorist groups.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
3 June 2026
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Traditional budgeting apps often require a lot more manual input on your part, such as entering your income and categorizing your expenses.—
Rebecca Safier,
USA Today,
1 June 2026
Verb
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The team began sorting through possible origins for this high-energy neutrino particle by acting like cosmic forensic detectives, classifying the detection of the particle as a crime scene and hunting for potential clues that point toward a culprit.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
28 May 2026
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Researchers debuted an inventory for classifying apocalyptic belief, comprising anthropogenic causality, theogenic causality, imminence, personal control, and the question of whether the end is a good or bad thing.—
Wyatt Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
26 May 2026
Verb
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Decades ago, two six-year-olds went missing for thirty-six hours, sparking a media frenzy that they had been briefly abducted by UFOs but eventually relegating them to a pop cultural punchline.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 June 2026
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And in his rookie season the opposing offense ran at him consistently, relegating him to a pass rusher.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
13 May 2026
Verb
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Storm forecasts on the horizon Hundreds or even thousands of shooting stars may be seen burning through Earth's skies each hour during one of these intense meteor storm events, though the distance separating micrometeoroids in space would still likely be measured on the order of miles.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
7 June 2026
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Every month, the site drops new fashion finds, but for the untrained eye, separating the newness from the nostalgia is no small feat.—
Annie Blackman,
InStyle,
6 June 2026
Verb
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Community health workers, patient navigators and care management teams should be proactively identifying high-risk Medicaid patients with chronic medical issues.—
Jesse Pines,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
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Inspired by a true story, this thriller centers around a fast food manager, Sandra (Ann Dowd), who receives a call from a man identifying himself as a police officer claiming to be investigating a potential theft by Becky (Dreama Walker), one of the restaurant’s employees.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pigeonholing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pigeonholing. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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