classification

American  

[klas-uh-fi-key-shuhn] / ˌklæs ə fɪˈkeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act of classifying.

2. the result of classifying or being classified.

3. one of the groups or classes into which things may be or have been classified.

4. Biology. the assignment of organisms to groups within a system of categories distinguished by structure, origin, etc. The usual series of categories is phylum (or, especially in botany,division ), class, order, family, genus, species, and variety.

5. the category, as restricted, confidential, secret, or top secret, to which information, a document, etc., is assigned, as by a government or military agency, based on the degree of protection considered necessary to safeguard it from unauthorized use.

6. Library Science. any of various systems for arranging books and other materials, especially according to subject or format.

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classification British  

/ ˌklæsɪfɪˈkeɪʃən /

noun

1. systematic placement in categories

2. one of the divisions in a system of classifying

3. biology

   1. the placing of animals and plants in a series of increasingly specialized groups because of similarities in structure, origin, molecular composition, etc, that indicate a common relationship. The major groups are domain or superkingdom, kingdom, phylum (in animals) or division (in plants), class, order, family, genus, and species

   2. the study of the principles and practice of this process; taxonomy

4. government the designation of an item of information as being secret and not available to people outside a restricted group

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classification Scientific  

/ klăs′ə-fĭ-kā′shən /

1. The systematic grouping of organisms according to the structural or evolutionary relationships among them. Organisms are normally classified by observed similarities in their body and cell structure or by evolutionary relationships based on the analysis of sequences of their DNA.

2. See more at cladistics Linnean See Table at taxonomy

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Other Word Forms

• clasificatorily
  adverb
• classificational
  adjective
• classificatory
  adjective
• misclassification
  noun
• nonclassification
  noun
• overclassification
  noun
• preclassification
  noun

Etymology

Origin of classification

1780–90; < Latin classi ( s ) class + -fication

Explanation

Classification is the process of putting something into a category. Classification of all your clothes by color may make it easier for you to put together an outfit, especially if you favor a monochrome look. Classification involves putting things into a class or group according to particular characteristics so it’s easier to make sense of them, whether you’re organizing your shoes, your stock portfolio, or a group of invertebrates. If you’re an international spy, you might know that classification also can mean a government’s system for keeping secrets. If you have a high level of security classification, then you know really top secret stuff.

Example Sentences

Just under half of Congolese farming households have access to quality seeds and almost none to fertiliser, according to a study by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification published in 2024.

From Barron's • Nov. 26, 2025

Famine is gripping camps of displaced people in the city and other areas of Sudan, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a group of international experts that analyze hunger crises.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 28, 2025

Famine had been projected in parts of Gaza this month in a March report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a global initiative that includes WFP as a partner.

From Seattle Times • May 6, 2024

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC, said in a report this month that all of Gaza’s 2.3 million people face high levels of acute food insecurity.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2024

On his behalf, I appealed to the Classification Board, which adjudicated cases falling under the Population Registration Act.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Related Words

• allocation
• allotment
• analysis
• arrangement
• coordination
• designation
• distribution
• grade
• regulation