categorical
Americanadjective
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without exceptions or conditions; absolute; unqualified and unconditional.
a categorical denial.
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Logic.
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(of a proposition) analyzable into a subject and an attribute related by a copula, as in the proposition “All humans are mortal.”
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(of a syllogism) having categorical propositions as premises.
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of, relating to, or in a category.
adjective
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unqualified; positive; unconditional
a categorical statement
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relating to or included in a category
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logic another word for categorial
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of categorical
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Late Latin catēgoric(us) (from Greek katēgorikós; see category, -ic) + -al 1
Explanation
If someone accuses you of stealing their lunch and you give a categorical denial, it means that you absolutely deny having anything to do with the theft. Categorical means absolute, unqualified, unconditional. If you ask someone to marry you and she says maybe, you might be able to persuade her. If it's no, you might still have a chance. But if she gives you a categorical no, she will never change her mind. Less often, categorical is used to describe something that is part of a certain category or group. A Doberman at the Westminster Dog Show might be the categorical winner, meaning it is the best Doberman but not the winner of the show.
Vocabulary lists containing categorical
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Break It Down: Cata
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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.
"Kim's core message was a categorical rejection of reports of US-China discussions on North Korean denuclearisation as 'false information'", he said.
From Barron's • Jun. 7, 2026
Under the handball law that should automatically lead to the goal being disallowed but, as Webb explained, the VAR did not feel he could be "absolutely categorical" about it.
From BBC • May 14, 2026
The measure passed Wednesday stops short of a categorical ban that some have sought, but was still met with cautious optimism by traffic safety reformers.
From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026
Trying to look manly and tough when your entire regime, from the top on down, consists of shifty characters with a wide range of obvious personality disorders might seem like a categorical error.
From Salon • Mar. 8, 2026
All the air of the fourteenth floor was sibilant with the categorical imperative.
From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley
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.
