What does "compartmentalize" mean?

To separate something into different categories, or compartments.

What is a synonym for "compartmentalize"?

Common synonyms include: compartmentalise, compartmentize, cut up.

Pronounced //kəmˌpɑɹtˈmɛntəlˌaɪz//.

//kəmˌpɑɹtˈmɛntəlˌaɪz// verb

verb ·Rare ·Advanced level

Verb

1
To separate something into different categories, or compartments. transitive
"In summary, we find the below listed empirical observations coming from our analysis of our Google hospital reviews. 1. The 11 identified valenced topics do not line up well with the standard way that the CMS and other surveys use to measure experiences, i.e., patients do not compartmentalize most of their comments to specific staff—doctors, nurses, etc.—or even departments."
2
separate into isolated compartments or categories wordnet

"You have a bad habit of wanting to compartmentalize things."

From compartmental + -ize.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.