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
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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
A Face for Picasso
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Words with 15 or More Letters, List 5
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Internment
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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 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
“I’ve learned to compartmentalize because it does take an emotional toll,” Loo said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 11, 2025
Did some try to block it all out, compartmentalize, imagine that it was only one more day?
From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed
“He compartmentalizes it,” Van Scoyoc said of Betts’ past postseason failures.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2024
Irene compartmentalizes and rationalizes her act; she needs to cool down, the tearoom is a breezy refuge, if one she intentionally seeks out rather than merely happens upon.
From New York Times ● Nov. 11, 2021
As much as the conversation about the Packers keeps veering toward his dissatisfaction, Rodgers compartmentalizes annoyance better than most.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 28, 2021
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
The information is kept highly classified and intricately compartmentalized.
From Slate ● Jul. 1, 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
“I was a deer caught in the headlights of a full-on romance, with no training or experience to cope with my teenage emotions,” he wrote, then explained his compartmentalized life and well-honed practice of denial.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2025
As I had in the past, I completely compartmentalized my life and prioritized fencing above all else.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
There has long been speculation that Graham’s capacity for compartmentalizing also extended to his personal life.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 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
Recent research has shown that closing your home’s garage door and all interior doors could ease the high winds somewhat by compartmentalizing them, according to Smith.
From Seattle Times ● May 25, 2024
Jaz Robbins, a trauma therapist who teaches psychology at Pepperdine University, said the key to healthy compartmentalizing is intentionality.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 14, 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
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.
