pigeonhole

1 of 2

noun

pi·​geon·​hole ˈpi-jən-ˌhōl 

1

: a hole or small recess for pigeons to nest

2

: a small open compartment (as in a desk or cabinet) for keeping letters or documents

3

: a neat category which usually fails to reflect actual complexities

pigeonhole

2 of 2

verb

pigeonholed; pigeonholing; pigeonholes

transitive verb

1

a

: to place in or as if in the pigeonhole of a desk

b

: to lay aside : shelve

his reports continued to be pigeonholed and his advice not taken

—Walter Mills

2

: to assign to an often restrictive category : classify

pigeonholer

ˈpi-jən-ˌhō-lər 

noun

Examples of pigeonhole in a Sentence

Verb

She likes to perform different types of music because she doesn't want to be pigeonholed.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Beefheart built a rabid cult following with an abrasive style that’s tough to pigeonhole (and, for the faint of heart, tough to comfortably sit through). —Ryan Reed, SPIN, 16 July 2024

Why did conventional wisdom, mainstream media, even college-level psychology courses, all pigeonhole such a significant portion of the population as irredeemable villains? —Patric Gagne, TIME, 2 Apr. 2024

Verb

Instead of pigeonholing the company into one specific set of standards, the team decided on a more fluid definition. —Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 4 Oct. 2024

Related Stories Woodstock Film Festival 2024 to Honor Paul Schrader with Maverick Award Lauren Bacall at 100: A Hollywood Casualty Who Fought Back Both Maddin and Rankin shared in their desire not to be pigeonholed into genre. —Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 16 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1577, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1840, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing pigeonhole

• put (someone) in a pigeonhole

Kids Definition

pigeonhole

1 of 2 noun

pi·​geon·​hole -ˌhōl 

: a small open compartment (as in a desk) for keeping letters or papers

pigeonhole

2 of 2 verb

1

: to place in or as if in the pigeonhole of a desk

2

: to assign to a usually restrictive category