pigeonholing

verb

present participle of pigeonhole
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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pigeonholing
  1. categorizing
  2. classifying
  3. relegating
  4. separating
  5. identifying
Verb
  • Currently, basic Medicare, the public health insurer of many adults over 65, does not cover grab bars, categorizing them like nonslip flooring or bathtub seats as convenience items rather than medical necessities.
    — Panashe Matemba-Mutasa, Mercury News, 13 July 2026
  • To streamline the private-public partnership and ensure the most rapid response to the biggest risks, Anthropic said the AI industry’s goal should be categorizing risks to ensure proper interventions both internally and from the government.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 1 July 2026
Definition of categorizing
Verb
  • In the most recent legislative session, Holscher introduced a bill to move marijuana from a Schedule I to Schedule III drug, classifying it among less addictive and harmful drugs.
    — Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 9 July 2026
  • The council concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support classifying obesity as a disease.
    — Max Moser, STAT, 9 July 2026
Definition of classifying
Verb
  • Perhaps its most red card-worthy offense was relegating Kuno Becker’s charismatic lead — the series’ only mainstay — to bit part, focusing instead on two new England internationals without an ounce of personality.
    — Jon O'Brien, Vulture, 26 June 2026
  • The new format will be familiar to fans of other sports like soccer, where some leagues feature differentiated divisions that promote and retain the best performing teams, while relegating those who don’t perform as well to lower circuits.
    — Dominic Chu, CNBC, 23 June 2026
Definition of relegating
Verb
  • One of the corrective actions involves modifying the engine startup sequence on the Super Heavy booster during its flip maneuver after separating from the Starship upper stage a few minutes after liftoff.
    — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 17 July 2026
  • For Flight 13, after separating from Starship high above the Earth, the Super Heavy V3 would fly back to perform a pinpoint splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico—a landing that the booster failed to stick during Flight 12.
    — Lee Billings & Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 16 July 2026
Definition of separating
Verb
  • In pre-war Japan, identifying a successor was less of a conundrum.
    — Hanako Montgomery, CNN Money, 14 July 2026
  • Gwinnett County police are asking the public for help in identifying a man accused of assaulting a woman in Norcross.
    — Dan Raby, CBS News, 13 July 2026
Definition of identifying

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Cite this Entry

“Pigeonholing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pigeonholing. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

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