WordGarden.iopigeonhole
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /pˈɪdʒənhˌəʊl/
US
- /ˈpɪdʒənˌhoʊl/
Meanings
Verb
to put someone or something into a fixed category or type
to set something aside without acting on it for the time being
Noun
a small open compartment used for storing or sorting papers, mail, or other items
Beyond the definition
Imagine an old post office wall full of little boxes for letters. Each little box is a pigeonhole. From that picture, the word also came to mean putting a person or thing into one simple category, often in a way that feels too narrow.
We do this when we make quick judgments based on someone's job, appearance, or background instead of seeing the full person. You might say a musician was pigeonholed as a pop singer, even though they can do much more. The word can still mean an actual small storage space, but in everyday English it is most often used for this limiting kind of labeling.
As a noun, a pigeonhole is a small open compartment used for storing or sorting things such as letters, papers, or cards. The image comes from rows of little spaces, like the slots once used in post offices or desks.
As a verb, to pigeonhole someone or something means to put them into a fixed category, often too quickly or too simply. It suggests that a person, idea, or piece of work is being treated as if one label explains everything about it. For example, an actor may be pigeonholed as a comic performer and then struggle to be taken seriously in dramatic roles.
The word often carries a negative feeling because this kind of labeling can ignore complexity and limit opportunity. A student might be pigeonholed as "the quiet one," a writer as "just a romance author," or a product as useful for only one market when it could appeal to many. In these cases, the problem is not simple organization but the way the label becomes restrictive.
So the word moves between a literal sense and a figurative one: a real small compartment on the one hand, and a limiting category on the other. In modern everyday use, the figurative meaning is the one you will hear most often.
Examples
- 1
Classroom storage
The teacher put each student's paper in a separate pigeonhole by the door.
- 2
Music criticism
Critics quickly pigeonholed the band as just another pop group.
- 3
Workplace identity
She hates being pigeonholed as "the funny one" at work.
- 4
Genre mixing
The film is hard to pigeonhole because it mixes comedy, horror, and romance.
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Career expectations
Try not to pigeonhole children into careers before they have had a chance to explore.
- Patternpigeonhole someone into + role/category
push or place them into a limited category or role
- 6
Government process
The committee pigeonholed the proposal until after the election.
- Domainin meetings or government, pigeonhole a proposal
put it aside and not act on it
See also
Similar
Shades of meaning
- stereotype
- box in
- classify
Contrast
- individualize
- see nuance
Used with (collocations)
- pigeonhole someone as
- be pigeonholed as
- refuse to be pigeonholed
Word family
Explore
- overgeneralization
- social categorization
Forms and spellings
4 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- pigeonholenounverb
Forms
- pigeonholedpast tenseverbnoun
- pigeonholespluralnounverb
- pigeonholing-ing formverbnoun