Pigeonhole

To assign someone or something to a particular category, often in a simplistic or limiting way; to treat a person or idea in a rigid or stereotypical manner, thereby preventing further consideration or development. It can also refer to the physical act of placing something into a specific compartment or a slot within a system of organized storage, such as a letter in a pigeonhole desk. The term often carries a negative connotation, suggesting a lack of open-mindedness or a failure to fully appreciate the complexity of the subject at hand. Additionally, the term can represent the postponement or neglect of an issue.

Pigeonhole meaning with examples

• The marketing team feared their innovative product would be **pigeonholed** as a niche item, limiting its market reach. They developed a comprehensive campaign to broaden its appeal and demonstrate its versatility, ensuring it wouldn't be confined to a single customer segment. Their focus was to overcome this common form of market segmentation.
• The professor refused to pigeonhole his students based on their initial performance; he understood that their understanding might evolve over time. He encouraged them to explore different perspectives and challenge their own assumptions to foster critical thinking. This fostered the type of growth in the students that he sought to see.
• The politician worried that the media would quickly pigeonhole him as being too liberal, so he was carefully measured in his statements. This affected the freedom of his policy-making. He decided to focus on specific achievements and avoided extreme positions to keep the option of working together with the opposition.
• During the hiring process, the HR department tried not to pigeonhole candidates based on their resumes alone. Instead, they looked for holistic indicators of potential that suggested adaptability and innovative thinking. This was designed to encourage the hiring of the most well-rounded candidates.
• Frustrated by the lack of progress, the activist accused the government of **pigeonholing** the climate change report, thus hindering decisive action. He felt this was a calculated move to avoid addressing the critical problems being created by climate change.