as in classifying
to arrange or assign according to type we shouldn't compartmentalize the students into such restrictive categories as scholar and athlete, which are not mutually exclusive
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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 compartmentalizing The duality applies to the whole team, which has seemingly mastered compartmentalizing its fun side and its serious side, tapping into one personality or the other on command. —
Haley Sawyer, Daily News, 28 Mar. 2026 The premise isn’t without its intriguing ideas, too, like how dating-app technology has had a broader compartmentalizing effect on monogamous relationships in general. —Andy Andersen, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2026 Also, this team had been good all season at compartmentalizing and being unmoved by things outside their control. —Dianna Russini, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2026 But Knife is careful to avoid giving the assailant too much space in the narrative, as if compartmentalizing his role was somehow a necessary part of the writer’s rehabilitation. —David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 25 Jan. 2026 But a different kind of compartmentalizing going on, yeah. —Kate Aurthur, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025 Instead of compartmentalizing passion and profession, some workers are finding that one can meaningfully enhance the other. —Michael Hansen, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Haley Sawyer, Daily News, 28 Mar. 2026 The premise isn’t without its intriguing ideas, too, like how dating-app technology has had a broader compartmentalizing effect on monogamous relationships in general. —Andy Andersen, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2026 Also, this team had been good all season at compartmentalizing and being unmoved by things outside their control. —Dianna Russini, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2026 But Knife is careful to avoid giving the assailant too much space in the narrative, as if compartmentalizing his role was somehow a necessary part of the writer’s rehabilitation. —David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 25 Jan. 2026 But a different kind of compartmentalizing going on, yeah. —Kate Aurthur, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025 Instead of compartmentalizing passion and profession, some workers are finding that one can meaningfully enhance the other. —Michael Hansen, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compartmentalizing
Verb
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Whether the law survives looming legal challenges—rooted in a 1933 state Supreme Court ruling classifying income as property—remains an open question.— Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2026
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By classifying sports betting as a public health issue and imposing rigid federal standards, the proposal also significantly limits the autonomy of the states, which have been primarily responsible for the legalization and regulation of this sector since 2018.— Cláudia Nunes, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Alejandro Boyco, a researcher at the Institute of Peruvian Studies, said the Senate will appoint and sanction high-ranking officials, including the country’s ombudsman, Constitutional Court members and some central bank directors.— Regina Garcia Cano, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
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Engel served as ranking member and chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee in the final years of his tenure.— Mark Prussin, CBS News, 10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In discussions of people like Michael Jackson, some defenders insist on distinguishing between the artist and the art, but a bio-pic is necessarily about both.— Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
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The piece contends that mainstream news outlets maintain legitimate standards requiring verification of allegations before publication, distinguishing serious journalism from gossip trafficking by political rivals.— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Don't keep the soil soggy, and give the grouping shade from afternoon sun.— Steve Bender, Southern Living, 17 Apr. 2026
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Consider grouping similar items together when organizing kitchen tools or decor.— Wendy Rose Gould, Martha Stewart, 7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In fairness to Wyle, going all in on a night-shift season would turn The Pitt into an entirely different show, and relegating it to a spinoff would probably mean getting less night shift on The Pitt proper and no one wants that.— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2026
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Boomer Esiason, the 1988 NFL MVP, was traded from the Cincinnati Bengals to the Jets in 1993, relegating Nagle to a reserve role.— Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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McCarrell said about half of the archive’s materials were well-organized ahead of the impending closure announcement, but categorizing what remains has been largely left up to him.— Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 20 Apr. 2026
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In these years, children are so good at categorizing, memorizing, and imagining that passionate time travel comes easily.— Elena Megalos, Longreads, 31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Removing barriers The new facility seeks to provide more dignity for clients and remove barriers that keep victims from separating themselves from harmful environments, Mortensen said.— Elliot Mann, Twin Cities, 19 Apr. 2026
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A lot of people have a hard time separating the actor from the character.— CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 19 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That means an outside entity—known as Maxwell’s demon—could theoretically herd those molecules from one object to another preferentially, sorting the faster-moving molecules back to the hot object and the cooler ones to the cold object.— Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 21 Apr. 2026
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As McCarrell opened the door to Trinity’s archives on the library’s second floor Wednesday, the difficulty of sorting nearly 70 years worth of history over the course of six months immediately became clear.— Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Compartmentalizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/thesaurus/compartmentalizing. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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