as in categorizing
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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Recent Examples of pigeonholing
Leibovitz has always resisted pigeonholing.
—
Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pigeonholing
Verb
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Like Perec’s, Latronico’s novel is interested in categorizing a consumerist milieu.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
25 Sep. 2025
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Auto-categorizing lines in Reminders lists Since iOS 17, Reminders has been able to automatically sort items in grocery lists into distinct categories, like Produce and Proteins.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Related Stories In a nutsell, the test arranged by the cutter’s union documented that AI tools are great for organizing, classifying and summarizing.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
16 Oct. 2025
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Cal Fire updated Saratoga’s Fire Hazard Severity Zone map in June, classifying some southwestern portions of the city as moderate or high fire hazard zones.—
Nollyanne Delacruz,
Mercury News,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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With sciatica relegating LeBron James to the sidelines, Doncic was unstoppable as a scorer and put up 43 points.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
22 Oct. 2025
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Mahomes’ connections with Tyquan Thornton secured the victory, relegating New York to their first 0-3 season since 2021.—
Kayla Hayempour,
NBC news,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
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She wed Thomas Evans in 2022, later separating.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
28 Oct. 2025
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The project features nearly 5,000 feet of new pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, including a dedicated path, new crosswalks and barriers separating vehicles from walkers, according to a news release from Louisville Parks and Recreation.—
Leo Bertucci,
Louisville Courier Journal,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Deshpande suggested that while streaming algorithms like Netflix’s are good at identifying what is within a subscriber’s tastes, the algorithm may limit what that user is exposed to, to the detriment of studios trying to produce films.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
28 Oct. 2025
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Police said officers were dispatched and arrived within two minutes of the 911 call — first reported as a suspicious event and later upgraded to a burglary in progress — and that the Criminal Investigations Bureau dedicated more than 100 investigative hours to identifying those involved.—
Christina Coulter,
PEOPLE,
28 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pigeonholing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pigeonholing. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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