category

[ kat-i-gawr-ee, -gohr-ee ]

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noun,plural cat·e·go·ries.

any general or comprehensive division; a class.
a classificatory division in any field of knowledge, as a phylum or any of its subdivisions in biology.

Metaphysics.
- (in Aristotelian philosophy) any of the fundamental modes of existence, such as substance, quality, and quantity, as determined by analysis of the different possible kinds of predication.
- (in Kantian philosophy) any of the fundamental principles of the understanding, as the principle of causation.
- any classification of terms that is ultimate and not susceptible to further analysis.
categories. Also called Guggenheim. (used with a singular verb) a game in which a key word and a list of categories, as dogs, automobiles, or rivers, are selected, and in which each player writes down a word in each category that begins with each of the letters of the key word, the player writing down the most words within a time limit being declared the winner.
Mathematics. a type of mathematical object, as a set, group, or metric space, together with a set of mappings from such an object to other objects of the same type.
Grammar. part of speech.

Origin of category

First recorded in 1580–90; from Late Latin catēgoria, from Greek katēgoría “accusation” (in logic, “predication”), from katēgoreîn “to accuse, affirm,” from kata- cata- + agoreúein “to speak before the agora¹ ” + -ia -y³

Other words for category

1	group, grouping, type

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Words Nearby category

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use category in a sentence

Veep Two HBO comedies make it into the Best Comedy category and neither of them are Veep?
15 Enraging Golden Globe TV Snubs and Surprises: Amy Poehler, 'Mad Men' & More | Kevin Fallon | December 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
God kills every living thing (non-fish, non-Noah category) in a global flood.
Christian Bale: One Man's Moses Is Another Man's Terrorist | Candida Moss, Joel Baden | December 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Five years later she would be the first woman to win a Monster Jam Finals Championship in the freestyle category.
The Moms of Monster Jam Drive Trucks, Buck Macho Culture | Eliza Krigman | November 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
That goes without saying, as no one woman could aptly represent everyone who identifies within that category.
Lena Vs. The Feminist Police | Amy Zimmerman | November 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Most of us in that category can remember the thrill of seeing our words appear in public for the first time.
You Can Look It Up: The Wikipedia Story | Walter Isaacson | October 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

But we must not class in this unclean category Lord Spunyarn and his friend Haggard, who were both playing at the big table.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James Wills
Still, I mean no offence when I put tea in the same category with Tobacco.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce | E. R. Billings.
The insurgent troops were included in the above category, but their arms were restored to them on their leaving the city.
The Philippine Islands | John Foreman
The strong probability is that this gland belongs in the same category with other embryonic survivals yet to be pointed out.
Man And His Ancestor | Charles Morris
This category includes domestic help and other forms of personalized aid.
Hallowed Heritage: The Life of Virginia | Dorothy M. Torpey

British Dictionary definitions for category

Origin of category

C15: from Late Latin catēgoria, from Greek katēgoria, from kategorein to accuse, assert

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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