categorical

[ kat-i-gawr-i-kuhl, -gor- ]

/ ˌkæt ɪˈgɔr ɪ kəl, -ˈgɒr- /

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See synonyms for: categorical / categorically on Thesaurus.com

adjective

without exceptions or conditions; absolute; unqualified and unconditional: a categorical denial.

Logic.

(of a proposition) analyzable into a subject and an attribute related by a copula, as in the proposition “All humans are mortal.”
(of a syllogism) having categorical propositions as premises.

of, relating to, or in a category.

OTHER WORDS FOR categorical

1 positive, flat, downright.

See synonyms for categorical on Thesaurus.com

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Also cat·e·gor·ic

[kat-i-gawr-ik, -gor-] /ˌkæt ɪˈgɔr ɪk, -ˈgɒr-/ .

Origin of categorical

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Late Latin catēgoric(us) (from Greek katēgorikós; see category, -ic) + -al¹

OTHER WORDS FROM categorical

cat·e·gor·i·cal·ly, adverbcat·e·gor·i·cal·ness, nounnon·cat·e·gor·i·cal, adjectivenon·cat·e·gor·i·cal·ness, noun

un·cat·e·gor·i·cal, adjectiveun·cat·e·gor·i·cal·ness, noun

Words nearby categorical

catechu, catechumen, categorematic, categorial, categorial grammar, categorical, categorical imperative, categorically, categoric contact, categorize, category

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

How to use categorical in a sentence

This means that there is no real categorical difference between imagination and reality, but that they are subjectively intermixed.
The Fine Line Between Reality and Imaginary - Issue 104: Harmony|Nadine Dijkstra|July 28, 2021|Nautilus
Courts use Holmes’s categorical and abstract approach, Greene says, instead of grappling with the particular human conflicts between the specific parties to a case.
Why are our debates about rights so toxic?|Aziz Huq|March 19, 2021|Washington Post
At this very moment, the people of Flint continue to suffer from the categorical failure of public officials at all levels of government, who trampled upon their trust and evaded accountability for far too long.
Ex-Michigan governor indicted for “willful neglect” in Flint water crisis|Jon Brodkin|January 14, 2021|Ars Technica
I’ve sometimes thought of myself as a categorical consultant.
Conducting the Mathematical Orchestra From the Middle|Rachel Crowell|September 2, 2020|Quanta Magazine

Indeed, you’d also want to know whether a society bothered much with assigning unique, categorical qualities to them at all.
Gender Is What You Make of It - Issue 88: Love & Sex|Charles King|August 5, 2020|Nautilus
He actively blamed and condemned women—not just individually, but as a categorical whole—for his shortcomings.
Let’s Get Real: Santa Barbara Was a Terrorist Act|Sally Kohn|May 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He is a writing school of one, and Made to Break ushers his literary energies into categorical existence.
Novelist D. Foy Dubs His Debut ‘Gutter Opera’ And Who Are We To Argue?|J.T. Price|May 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Obviously, as a Democratic candidate for governor, he has shifted away from this categorical support for pro-gun measures.
Crusader for Gun Rights Aims for Second Shot With Dems|Jamelle Bouie|February 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Both women issued categorical denials even before the photos hit newsstands.
Did François Hollande Have An Affair On The Campaign Trail?|Tracy McNicoll|January 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Charlene calls reports she tried to flee Monaco 'categorical lies'
Princess Charlene of Monaco: I Was Not A Runaway Royal Bride|Tom Sykes|July 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST
It was a strange case of mistaken identity which persisted for many years in spite of categorical denials.
Vie de Bohme|Orlo Williams
As I dressed a number of frightful posers came into my head about you, and I want categorical answers.
The Angel of Pain|E. F. Benson
The single categorical negation of the President is that he neither saw nor read the recommendation.
The Judicial Murder of Mary E. Surratt|David Miller DeWitt
The highest norms were not present with a categorical affirmation of their reality and value.
An Interpretation of Rudolf Eucken's Philosophy|W. Tudor Jones
For we should discover that speech is a much less categorical matter than we had been led to suppose.
The Soul of the Far East|Percival Lowell

British Dictionary definitions for categorical

categorical

categoric

/ (ˌkætɪˈɡɒrɪkəl) /

adjective

unqualified; positive; unconditionala categorical statement

relating to or included in a category

logic another word for categorial

Derived forms of categorical

categorically, adverbcategoricalness, noun

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

categorical

OTHER WORDS FOR categorical

Origin of categorical

OTHER WORDS FROM categorical

Words nearby categorical

Words related to categorical

How to use categorical in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for categorical

categoric

Derived forms of categorical