category

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

noun

plural

categories 

1. any general or comprehensive division; a class.

   Synonyms: type, grouping, group

2. a classificatory division in any field of knowledge, as a phylum or any of its subdivisions in biology.

3. Metaphysics.

   1. (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.

   2. (in Kantian philosophy) any of the fundamental principles of the understanding, as the principle of causation.

   3. any classification of terms that is ultimate and not susceptible to further analysis.

4. Also called Guggenheim. (used with a singular verb),  categories. 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.

5. 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.

6. Grammar.,  part of speech.

category

/ ˈkætɪɡərɪ /

noun

1. a class or group of things, people, etc, possessing some quality or qualities in common; a division in a system of classification

2. metaphysics any one of the most basic classes into which objects and concepts can be analysed

3. 1. (in the philosophy of Aristotle) any one of ten most fundamental modes of being, such as quantity, quality, and substance

   2. (in the philosophy of Kant) one of twelve concepts required by human beings to interpret the empirical world

   3. any set of objects, concepts, or expressions distinguished from others within some logical or linguistic theory by the intelligibility of a specific set of statements concerning them See also category mistake

Word History and Origins

Origin of category¹

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 agora ¹ ” + -ia -y ³

Word History and Origins

Origin of category¹

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

Example Sentences

“If the government can grab someone because he’s a certain demographic group that’s correlated with some offense category, then they can do that in any context.”

Read more on Salon

But for some categories, tariffs have already driven up prices.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Clubs were awarded points - and a grade - based on five categories: fandom, performance, finances, stadium and community, with a maximum of 20 points on offer.

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The category steers more toward medicinal rather than indulgence and general nutrition.

Read more on Barron's

The job cuts were announced on Thursday as Nestle reported better sales figures in the first nine months of 2025, selling more products across its major categories, including coffee and sweets.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• class 
• division 
• grade 
• group 
• kind 
• league 
• level 
• list 
• rank 
• section 
• tier