Standard Lemma guide

compartmentalize

verb · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /kɒmpɑː(ɹ)tˈmɛnt(ə)laɪz/
  • US: /kəmˌpɑɹtˈmɛntəlˌaɪz/
  • US: /kəmpɑɹtˈmɛntl̩ˌaɪz/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: K AH0 M P AA2 R T M EH1 N T AH0 L AY2 Z Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To separate something into different categories, or compartments.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

separate into isolated compartments or categories

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • You cannot compartmentalize your life like this!

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: compartmentalise, cut up

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: separate, disunite, divide, part

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱe? Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm Proto-Italic *kom Proto-Italic *kom- Latin com- Proto-Indo-European *perh3-der.? Proto-Italic *partis Latin pars Latin partiō Latin partior Latin compartīrībor. Italian compartire Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥ Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥tom Proto-Italic *-mentom Latin -mentum Italian -mento Italian compartimentobor. Middle French compartimentder. English compartment English -al English compartmental Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō)bor. Late Latin -izōder. Middle French -iserbor. Middle English -isen English -ize English compartmentalize From compartmental + -ize.

Across languages

Translations

17 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: compartimentar — separate into different categories
  • Chinese Cantonese: 劃分 /划分 (waak6 fan1) — separate into different categories
  • Chinese Mandarin: 劃分 /划分 (huàfēn) — separate into different categories
  • Min Nan Chinese: 劃分 /划分 (hōa-hun) — separate into different categories
  • Dutch: compartimenteren — separate into different categories
  • Finnish: osastoida — separate into different categories
  • Finnish: jaotella — separate into different categories
  • French: compartimenter — separate into different categories
  • German: aufgliedern — separate into different categories
  • German: unterteilen — separate into different categories
  • Italian: compartimentalizzare — separate into different categories
  • Polish: dzielić — separate into different categories
  • Polish: podzielić — separate into different categories
  • Polish: szufladkować — separate into different categories
  • Portuguese: compartimentar — separate into different categories
  • Romanian: compartimenta — separate into different categories
  • Spanish: compartimentar — separate into different categories