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.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
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 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
Calum Marsh, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025
From indie horror films to action comedies and offbeat spy spoofs, from the intensity of Tombstone to the surrealism of The Island of Dr. Moreau with co-star Marlon Brando, Kilmer defied pigeonholing.
—Jeetendr Sehdev, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 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
Still, the Harmons expressed some frustration with being pigeonholed as a Christian movie studio.
—Calum Marsh, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025
From indie horror films to action comedies and offbeat spy spoofs, from the intensity of Tombstone to the surrealism of The Island of Dr. Moreau with co-star Marlon Brando, Kilmer defied pigeonholing.
—Jeetendr Sehdev, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pigeonhole
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pigeonhole
Verb
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
The information, classified as secret, pertained to military targets and Russian military capabilities, according to the plea agreement.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
14 July 2025
-
Hotels were classified among resorts, city hotels, inn or safari lodge.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 July 2025
Noun
-
The shelter pup rescued the mid-level associate from the cubicle cell.—
Julia Coin,
Charlotte Observer,
2 July 2025
-
Sharon listened patiently to all this nonsense, returned to her cubicle, and got on with her day.—
Zadie Smith,
New Yorker,
30 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
-
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
-
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
-
Build Authoritative Content Covering The Entire Topic Targeting niche keywords is no longer effective for gaining search exposure.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
16 July 2025
-
The team at Patricia works with niche importers and roasts its beans in-house.—
Nina Caplan,
Travel + Leisure,
14 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pigeonhole.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pigeonhole. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share