compartmentalize
Americanverb (used with object)
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compartmentalizes,
present (3rd person singular)
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compartmentalized,
past participle, past
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compartmentalizing
present participle
-
to divide into separate and isolated categories, sections, areas, or compartments.
Instead of compartmentalizing tasks, employees can be trained broadly.
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Psychology. to mentally separate or set aside (one’s incompatible or negative emotions, beliefs, or behaviors): Unfortunately, the experiences at work are not easily compartmentalized—they stay with the nurses and affect every aspect of their lives.
Ripley, a serial killer, has the capacity to compartmentalize his thoughts, push his conscience conveniently aside, in order to live with himself.
Unfortunately, the experiences at work are not easily compartmentalized—they stay with the nurses and affect every aspect of their lives.
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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compartmentalizesimple
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compartmentalizessimple
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have compartmentalizedperfect
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has compartmentalizedperfect
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am compartmentalizingprogressive
-
are compartmentalizingprogressive
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is compartmentalizingprogressive
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have been compartmentalizingperfect progressive
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has been compartmentalizingperfect progressive
Past
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compartmentalizedsimple
-
had compartmentalizedperfect
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was compartmentalizingprogressive
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were compartmentalizingprogressive
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had been compartmentalizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of compartmentalize
First recorded in 1920–25; compartmental + -ize
Explanation
When you separate something into smaller sections or categories, you compartmentalize it. Sometimes people compartmentalize their feelings in order to understand them better. Someone who compartmentalizes his own life tends to sort its different parts, keeping work life completely removed from recreation or family life, for example. A college student might find that a good way to prepare for a history exam is to compartmentalize each decade and study them separately. The verb compartmentalize comes from the noun compartment, itself from the Old French compartiment, "part partitioned off," from the Late Latin compartiri, "to divide."
Vocabulary lists containing compartmentalize
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The first lesson of 1901 is that speculative fever is hard to compartmentalize.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
The ability to compartmentalize, a coping skill that is often learned young, can be beneficial.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026
Whether it’s a blockbuster trade that brought Doncic to L.A. or an untimely injury that sidelines the superstar guard at the most important time of the season, Redick is able to compartmentalize each day’s mission.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 9, 2026
So I stopped trying to be my whole self everywhere, and gave myself permission to prioritize and compartmentalize.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2025
My parents thought of the divorce as trading one piece of paper for another, and I try to compartmentalize it in the same way.
From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi
Lynskey: I think something the writers and I were really on the same page about is how much she compartmentalizes and how much she refuses to deal with and refuses to look at.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2022
Whenever Casserly goes on TV, he said, he compartmentalizes his different jobs.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 25, 2019
He’s said that he compartmentalizes, so that if he’s with you, he’s just Dennis.
From Slate ● Feb. 12, 2019
“John really compartmentalizes his two lives,” said Henry Tyndorf, the school principal.
From New York Times ● Apr. 24, 2013
The guide compartmentalizes U.S. history into 10 eras, from the beginnings until 1620 to contemporary $ America, and proposes two to four "standards" of what students should know about each period.
From Time Magazine Archive
In contrast, Mr. Driscoll warned lawmakers, “our software systems are compartmentalized, isolated and ineffective against modern threats.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
The second feature is the nanoreactor's compartmentalized structure.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 6, 2026
The information is kept highly classified and intricately compartmentalized.
From Slate ● Jul. 1, 2026
Will’s objections, based on his past writings, may be more aesthetic than principled, the product of a neatly compartmentalized mind.
From Salon ● Dec. 20, 2025
I type a quick command and bring up a window to search for my Memory Worlds, all the carefully compartmentalized pieces of my father that I spend so much time revisiting.
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
There has long been speculation that Graham’s capacity for compartmentalizing also extended to his personal life.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026
Or maybe you’re like Saxon, compartmentalizing the whole thing, pretending it never happened.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2025
But by compartmentalizing and integrating digital screens to show their inventory—rather than the rows of products—machines can offer about twice as many items.
From Slate ● Feb. 1, 2025
Experts say that compartmentalizing can be a healthy and essential tool to help us get through the day.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 1, 2024
Barack, who’s always been good at compartmentalizing, managed to be admirably present and undistracted when he was with us.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
