pigeonholed

verb

past tense of pigeonhole
as in categorized
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 pigeonholed An island that is often pigeonholed to infinity pools and rice-paddy views, the tropical destination is also home to working rice terraces still farmed by hand, daily temple offerings, and craft traditions passed down over generations. — Katharine Sohn, Architectural Digest, 19 Aug. 2026 It's not just pigeonholed into one spot. — Tax Notes Staff, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026 That way, you’re not pigeonholed into redeeming your rewards exclusively through Delta. — Sarah Hostetler, CNBC, 5 June 2026 Conversations are cut down, some couples are poised to be the favorites, while other contestants get pigeonholed as the villains. — Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 1 June 2026 The best sci-fi games are often pigeonholed into specific genres like shooters, strategy games, and RPGs, and for good reason; franchises like Mass Effect, StarCraft, and Half-Life are all-time classics. — Keith Langston, Space.com, 31 May 2026 German actors abroad are often pigeonholed as villains. — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 17 May 2026 Hamill could not always avoid being pigeonholed. — Sanat Pai Raikar, Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 Mar. 2026 Executives had pigeonholed her as a rom-com queen. — New York Times, 14 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pigeonholed
  1. categorized
  2. classified
  3. relegated
  4. separated
  5. identified
Verb
  • Last week the Department of Health and Human Services posted a request for public input on how vaccines are categorized.
    — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 25 Aug. 2026
  • This revealed that the globular clusters at the heart of our galaxy can be categorized in three distinct ways based upon their age and their metallicity, a measure of elements heavier than hydrogen and helium, which astronomers refer to as metals.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of categorized
Verb
  • The number of food recalls classified by the Food and Drug Administration through August this year is running below historical levels.
    — Dian Zhang, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
  • An autopsy identified multiple injuries, and the DuPage County Coroner’s Office ultimately determined that his death was caused by injuries resulting from child abuse and classified the death as a homicide, the news release said.
    — Aurora Beacon-News, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of classified
Verb
  • But in an open system, the worst teams are relegated to lower divisions, while teams that perform well are promoted to the top flight.
    — Manuel Rueda, NPR, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The only other show to have more than one nominee relegated was All Her Fault for acting nominee Dakota Fanning and writing nominee Megan Gallagher.
    — Joe Reid, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of relegated
Verb
  • Festivalgoers were never forced to choose between artists, as sets were separated by 10-minute breaks, preventing overlap.
    — Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Both can be separated and opened as needed via long white drapes.
    — Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of separated
Verb
  • The remains of a man found near a Sierra campsite more than 30 years ago have been identified by Placer County cold case investigators as George Krusely, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office announced.
    — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 27 Aug. 2026
  • That was until 2021, when police identified a male DNA profile that had no matches in the database.
    — Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of identified

Browse Nearby Words

pigeonhole
pigeonholed
pigeonholes
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pigeonholed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pigeonholed. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of dissonant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All