as in classifying
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 compartmentalizing
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
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
Also, this team had been good all season at compartmentalizing and being unmoved by things outside their control.
—Dianna Russini, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2026
But Knife is careful to avoid giving the assailant too much space in the narrative, as if compartmentalizing his role was somehow a necessary part of the writer’s rehabilitation.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 25 Jan. 2026
But a different kind of compartmentalizing going on, yeah.
—Kate Aurthur, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025
Instead of compartmentalizing passion and profession, some workers are finding that one can meaningfully enhance the other.
—Michael Hansen, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Haley Sawyer, Daily News, 28 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
Also, this team had been good all season at compartmentalizing and being unmoved by things outside their control.
—Dianna Russini, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2026
But Knife is careful to avoid giving the assailant too much space in the narrative, as if compartmentalizing his role was somehow a necessary part of the writer’s rehabilitation.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 25 Jan. 2026
But a different kind of compartmentalizing going on, yeah.
—Kate Aurthur, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025
Instead of compartmentalizing passion and profession, some workers are finding that one can meaningfully enhance the other.
—Michael Hansen, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compartmentalizing
Verb
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There's an emerging market for concierge and longevity clinics, where physicians are offering unregulated peptides by classifying them as supplements rather than as drugs to enhance specific functions rather than treat disease.—
Teresa Maalouf,
Verywell Health,
12 May 2026
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But as other reality-TV subgenres similarly flourished over the two-plus decades since, the Emmys responded by micro-classifying the shows and pushing most of them to the Creative Arts ceremony.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
10 May 2026
Verb
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But your profile is almost certainly there, and Google is ranking it.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
16 May 2026
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No one on the island, with the exception of certain high-ranking officials, can escape the challenges presented by the lack of oil, Piñon said.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
16 May 2026
Verb
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The group blamed both the army and RSF and said some drones use visual monitoring technology capable of distinguishing targets, raising concerns that the attacks may not have been indiscriminate.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 May 2026
-
Even Realities has launched its Even G2 smart glasses, distinguishing themselves from competitors like Meta by being deliberately camera- and speaker-free.—
David Phelan,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Rather than grouping artists around a theme, curator Miguel Rodez invited each participant to work within the circular format while maintaining their own visual language.—
Miguel Sirgado,
Miami Herald,
6 May 2026
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One approach is to organize agendas more intentionally, grouping high-interest items separately and allocating more time where community impact is greatest.—
Steve Scauzillo,
Daily News,
4 May 2026
Verb
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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
-
Lens beat Nantes 1-0 on Friday, guaranteeing a spot in next season's Champions League and relegating eight-time French champion Nantes to Ligue 2.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 May 2026
Verb
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Despite the proximity, the space rock poses no danger, according to Richard Binzel, a professor of planetary sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the inventor of the Torino Scale, a tool for categorizing potential collisions of space objects with Earth.—
Jacopo Prisco,
CNN Money,
18 May 2026
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ChatGPT will then begin syncing and categorizing data, which may take a few minutes.—
Will McCurdy,
PC Magazine,
16 May 2026
Verb
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The event has been criticized as promoting Christian nationalism and obscuring the lines separating church and state.—
Chandelis Duster,
NPR,
17 May 2026
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The nation’s tradition of separating church and state, however, was not on display.—
Tiffany Stanley,
Los Angeles Times,
17 May 2026
Verb
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That work started with simply observing individual stars and sorting them into categories—just like scientists finally have the technology to do with exoplanets today.—
K. R. Callaway,
Scientific American,
11 May 2026
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Workers move inside the units quickly, sorting the scraps by color and fabric, feeding a system designed to keep up with the pace of global consumption.—
Ayushi Shah,
CNN Money,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Compartmentalizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compartmentalizing. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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