as in to classify
to arrange or assign according to type
we shouldn't compartmentalize the students into such restrictive categories as scholar and athlete, which are not mutually exclusive
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Recent Examples of compartmentalize
This wasn’t surprising, given that intelligence agencies compartmentalize information about sensitive operations.
—
David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
The duality applies to the whole team, which has seemingly mastered compartmentalizing its fun side and its serious side, tapping into one personality or the other on command.
—Haley Sawyer, Daily News, 28 Mar. 2026
In situations of more extreme mental health issues, teens may not have the tools to navigate difficult feelings and instead, repress and compartmentalize their feelings as a way to cope.
—Staff Author, Parents, 9 Mar. 2026
The premise isn’t without its intriguing ideas, too, like how dating-app technology has had a broader compartmentalizing effect on monogamous relationships in general.
—Andy Andersen, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for compartmentalize
David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
The duality applies to the whole team, which has seemingly mastered compartmentalizing its fun side and its serious side, tapping into one personality or the other on command.
—Haley Sawyer, Daily News, 28 Mar. 2026
In situations of more extreme mental health issues, teens may not have the tools to navigate difficult feelings and instead, repress and compartmentalize their feelings as a way to cope.
—Staff Author, Parents, 9 Mar. 2026
The premise isn’t without its intriguing ideas, too, like how dating-app technology has had a broader compartmentalizing effect on monogamous relationships in general.
—Andy Andersen, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for compartmentalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compartmentalize
Verb
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Another pair of wins from KPop Demon Hunters, which are attached to the evil boy band Saja Boys, cracked the top 10 as well, and several members – the group is made up of Andrew Choi, Neckwav, Danny Chung, Kevin Woo and Samuil Lee – are usually classified as K-pop artists.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
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Final thoughts For context, my backyard sky falls somewhere between 7 and 8 on the Bortle scale, a nine-level system used by astronomers to classify the brightness of the night sky and the impact of light pollution.—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Nystrom researches the draft tirelessly, keeping a spreadsheet of data (ages, game stats, hand widths) on nearly two thousand players, and publicly ranks his top five hundred—nearly twice as many as will actually be drafted.—
Dan Greene,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
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Other than the San Antonio Spurs, the Knicks are the only postseason team that ranks in the top three in points scored and allowed per 100 possessions.—
Tony Jones,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
Verb
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The film plays out like a tale where too much has been relegated to the margins and left between the cuts, where the performances shine but their emotional foundations have been laid in reverse.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
14 May 2026
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Parikh is just one of many election deniers who were long relegated to the fringe and are now—with Trump back in office and still not over his electoral defeat six years ago—embedded inside the government.—
Shane Harris,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2026
Verb
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But his team distinguished themselves through superior organisation with and without the ball, exploiting space to play to the specific strengths of their personnel.—
Liam Twomey,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
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That framework, Yeon says, distinguishes Korean commercial cinema from other markets.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
16 May 2026
Verb
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This means recording transactions, categorizing expenses and calculating totals yourself, without linking your bank accounts to an app.—
Nick Perry,
USA Today,
11 May 2026
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The Western musical tradition is mostly sidelined in favor of kuduro, gqom, batida, and sounds too free of familiar musical idioms to be easily categorized.—
Will Lynch,
Pitchfork,
11 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Compartmentalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compartmentalize. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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