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.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
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
The researchers, led by Arne Güllich of RPTU Kaiserlautern-Landau in Germany, noted that prodigies often specialized in a single discipline, pigeonholing themselves in a particular field early in life.
—
Jake Angelo, Fortune, 9 Jan. 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
Jake Angelo, Fortune, 9 Jan. 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
-
Investigators are also not categorizing the case as any particular type of crime at this stage, according to a federal law enforcement source with knowledge of the investigation.—
Liz Kreutz,
NBC news,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Budgeting apps like Empower and Monarch connect to your bank account and credit cards, automatically tracking and categorizing your transactions.—
Jasmin Suknanan,
CNBC,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
An officer wrote a report this week, classifying it as fourth-degree intentional damage to property, after receiving information last month.—
Mara H. Gottfried,
Twin Cities,
11 Mar. 2026
-
The industry says classifying EWA as a loan could have the perverse effect of sending consumers back to higher-cost, risky alternatives such as payday loans or pawn shops by imposing unnecessary restrictions, such as mandatory fees, interest charges and credit reporting requirements.—
Cheryl Winokur Munk,
CNBC,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
James Borrego had been utilizing a big lineup, relegating Jeremiah Fears to a reserve role, but Fears played 30 minutes in each of the past two contests.—
Stan Son,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Embracing those expectations rather than fighting them, Kok extended her two-year-plus unbeaten streak at her sport’s shortest distance Sunday, adding a gold medal and the Olympic record to her world mark, beating Jackson head-to-head in the final heat and relegating Leerdam to the silver.—
Howard Fendrich,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The teacher draws a tightrope separating two dimensions with an acrobat occupying the space above the tightrope, and a flea, who is able to walk both above and below the tightrope.—
Valerie Greene,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 Mar. 2026
-
That's why separating church and state is important to me, ‘cause the government should not be an emotional being.—
Ed Masley,
AZCentral.com,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In the recent demonstration, advanced software and unmanned platforms were combined to create a system capable of identifying and responding to electronic signals with minimal human involvement.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Some identifying details about the facility are being withheld at the request of Kurdish military commanders.—
Younes Mohammad,
USA Today,
15 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pigeonholing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pigeonholing. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
