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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 compartmentalizing
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
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
-
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
-
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
-
When Espinoza Martínez was first arrested, he was labeled by the Department of Homeland Security as a high-ranking member of the Latin Kings street gang, someone who had the power to pay other gang members to commit murder of a top government official.—
Jason Meisner,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Feb. 2026
-
How to Save Money on Flights A trip to Japan can be costly, with airfare often ranking among the biggest expenses.—
Lauren Dana Ellman,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Protective planning as a long-term discipline Perhaps the most distinguishing feature of future-proof asset protection is timing.—
Malana VanTyler,
USA Today,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Season 2 explores where this chaos comes from, and the difficulty in distinguishing the sheriff from the outlaw.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Turquoise Health assembles price data by grouping codes for services together using machine learning, a type of artificial intelligence.—
Darius Tahir,
NPR,
10 Feb. 2026
-
This food trend feeds this growing interest, by grouping three or more condiments together in one slick order.—
Karla Walsh,
Southern Living,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
White settlers and corporations quickly swooped in to tap into the vast natural riches of these new territories, relegating the original inhabitants to being strangers in their own land.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
-
But she’s done relegating herself to supporting roles only.—
Kat Moon,
Time,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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
Verb
-
Hurzeler’s side are down to 14th, the same number of points (eight) separating them from West Ham in the relegation zone and Brentford in seventh.—
Andy Naylor,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Management also said that Viasat continues to evaluate strategic options, which include potentially separating the company’s government and commercial businesses.—
Liz Napolitano,
CNBC,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Five minutes of sorting your meds into an efficient pill organizer saves space for far more important things (like an extra pair of shoes).—
Carin Ryan,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Recently, Tasic, a neuroscientist and genomicist at the Allen Institute for Brain Science, and her collaborators recruited artificial intelligence for the sorting and mapmaking effort.—
Amber Dance,
Quanta Magazine,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Compartmentalizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compartmentalizing. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
