as in to categorize
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pigeonhole
Will Leitch, Vulture, 24 June 2024
And even those films starring endlessly reincarnating supernatural psycho slashers chasing nubile coeds aren’t so simple to pigeonhole politically.
—David Colman, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Oct. 2024
Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 24 May 2025
But by the end of the decade, Derringer had grown concerned that his work with Yankovic had pigeonholed him as a producer.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 27 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for pigeonhole
Verb
And to his credit, Leitch escapes that pigeonhole … only to get trapped in another.
—Will Leitch, Vulture, 24 June 2024
And even those films starring endlessly reincarnating supernatural psycho slashers chasing nubile coeds aren’t so simple to pigeonhole politically.
—David Colman, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Oct. 2024
Noun
For years it’s been hard to pigeonhole Williams as a football player.
—Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 24 May 2025
But by the end of the decade, Derringer had grown concerned that his work with Yankovic had pigeonholed him as a producer.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 27 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for pigeonhole
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pigeonhole
Verb
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The team categorized people into four groups: Inactive (no weekly exercise), insufficiently active (less than 150 minutes per week), weekend warriors (150-plus minutes per week, in one to two sessions) and regularly active (15-plus minutes spread across three or more sessions).—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
25 July 2025
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The participants then filled out a questionnaire, which enabled the scientists to categorize each person as a pessimist or optimist.—
Margherita Bassi,
Smithsonian Magazine,
24 July 2025
Noun
-
The narrow, shaded Via Santa Maria della Pietà is Neapolitan-esque in its air of ancient mystery, with big arched doorways to houses and glimpses into tiny barber shops and a cubbyhole tattoo parlor.—
Rebecca Ann Hughes,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2025
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At the top of the Guggenheim’s ramp, the upper level is dedicated to a sprawling installation of open cubic shelves that look like highly refined cubbyholes.—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
30 May 2025
Verb
-
More than 71% of the students are emergent bilingual and 17% are classified as immigrants, according to TEA data.—
Keri Heath,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
-
This year, Jim Bowden classifies 14 clubs as buyers, eight as sellers and eight as on the fence.—
Alex Kirshner,
New York Times,
30 July 2025
Noun
-
Inmates live in dormitory style housing with cubicles housing four to eight beds.—
Laura Trujillo,
USA Today,
1 Aug. 2025
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The transition from college lecture halls to corporate cubicles represents one of life’s most significant cultural shifts and often shocks.—
Brendan Keegan,
Rolling Stone,
24 June 2025
Verb
-
The drive to save lives cannot be relegated to historical oddity.—
David Miliband,
Time,
21 July 2025
-
Hamilton, mostly relegated to low-leverage situations after some early-season struggles, had the Yankees down, 2-0, before recording an out, as Matt Olson and Ronald Acuña Jr. followed Jurickson Profar’s leadoff single with RBI doubles.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
19 July 2025
Noun
-
Birkin was struggling to cram her wicker bag in the overhead compartment when its contents spilt on Dumas.—
Kian Bakhtiari,
Forbes.com,
23 July 2025
-
The cavernous main compartment made packing straightforward, especially with the help of packing cubes, and its slim internal zippered pocket kept essentials like a phone, wallet, and headphones organized.—
Talia Ergas,
Travel + Leisure,
22 July 2025
Verb
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Milwaukee police officers obtained video footage from local businesses, enabling them to identify the vehicle as a 2025 Ford Explorer.—
Jessica Van Egeren,
jsonline.com,
24 July 2025
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The law requires that food labels identify the food source of all major food allergens used to make the food.—
Matthew Robinson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 July 2025
Noun
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Since then, Wood has developed a niche demographic of fans.—
Maya Pow,
People.com,
30 July 2025
-
Although the commercial electric vehicle market grows more consolidated, there is still a chance for such upstarts; by focusing on specific niches and their unique strengths, these companies have a chance to capture still-available market share.—
Earl Carr,
Forbes.com,
30 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pigeonhole.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pigeonhole. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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