compartmentalize
Americanverb (used with object)
-
compartmentalizes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
compartmentalized,
past participle, past
-
compartmentalizing
present participle
-
to divide into separate and isolated categories, sections, areas, or compartments.
Instead of compartmentalizing tasks, employees can be trained broadly.
-
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
-
compartmentalizesimple
-
compartmentalizessimple
-
have compartmentalizedperfect
-
has compartmentalizedperfect
-
am compartmentalizingprogressive
-
are compartmentalizingprogressive
-
is compartmentalizingprogressive
-
have been compartmentalizingperfect progressive
-
has been compartmentalizingperfect progressive
Past
-
compartmentalizedsimple
-
had compartmentalizedperfect
-
was compartmentalizingprogressive
-
were compartmentalizingprogressive
-
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
A Face for Picasso
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Words with 15 or More Letters, List 5
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Internment
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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 ability to compartmentalize, a coping skill that is often learned young, can be beneficial.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 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
When seismic events occur, part of the rational human response is to compartmentalize, even making light of the trauma.
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2025
That you don’t have to compartmentalize parts of yourself because they upset you.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 7, 2025
I’d been trained my entire life to compartmentalize, to give my entire focus to the situation at hand, and I leaned hard on the habits developed from years and years of study and work.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
“He compartmentalizes it,” Van Scoyoc said of Betts’ past postseason failures.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2024
Whenever Casserly goes on TV, he said, he compartmentalizes his different jobs.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 25, 2019
She walks out of the living room when her brother compartmentalizes her legal battle and watches the Saints on television.
From New York Times ● Apr. 8, 2019
He’s said that he compartmentalizes, so that if he’s with you, he’s just Dennis.
From Slate ● Feb. 12, 2019
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
Instead, from the very beginning, the law compartmentalized requirements of parental involvement in some contexts and inconsistently applied those requirements in others.
From Slate ● Mar. 12, 2026
At the system level, hardware needs to be compartmentalized by dividing business data into different groups, granting users specific access based on their roles and adding a layer of protection to the information.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 20, 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
With everybody else, their self gets compartmentalized, which I think we do in life.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 5, 2024
I’ve compartmentalized it in a corner of my mind to keep me functional.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
There has long been speculation that Graham’s capacity for compartmentalizing also extended to his personal life.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026
But far from compartmentalizing his faith, as many entertainers do, he speaks of it often, just as he speaks of his family, both being a vital part of who he is.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026
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
“At the end of the day, I have always been pretty good about compartmentalizing and being able to stay focused in this building, so I’m just going to keep rolling with that.”
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 6, 2023
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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
