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
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
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The United States justified its attack on Caracas by categorizing it as a law enforcement operation against Maduro.—
Francesca Chambers,
USA Today,
10 Jan. 2026
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Linnaeus was the father of binomial nomenclature, a categorizing system that designates a genus and a species name for every living organism.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Young Women’s Leadership Academy has students in grades 6-12 and has an 85% minority population, with 65% of total students classifying as Hispanic and 20% as African-American.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 Jan. 2026
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The State Department regularly updates advisories and warnings for destinations around the world, classifying them from its lowest Level 1 advisory to its highest Level 4.—
Michael Cappetta,
Travel + Leisure,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But she’s done relegating herself to supporting roles only.—
Kat Moon,
Time,
29 Jan. 2026
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After committing to a package worth more than £15million and a four-year contract for the Brazilian last summer, relegating him to second choice in the long term will have consequences.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
19 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Stars themselves can generate strong radio bursts, and separating planetary effects from stellar activity requires follow-up observations.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Feb. 2026
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The same grounds crew in charge of the field for the Super Bowl installed the Pro Bowl’s playing turf, a thin layer of infill separating it from the concrete convention center floor.—
Evan Webeck,
Mercury News,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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And expect to participate as a student of Spanish, identifying objects and colors as if in a beginner’s class.—
Rob Hubbard,
Twin Cities,
1 Feb. 2026
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The Larimer County coroner will be responsible for identifying the driver after the family has been notified and an autopsy has been conducted, per the Denver Gazette.—
Erin Clack,
PEOPLE,
1 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pigeonholing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pigeonholing. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
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