category

cat·e·go·ry

noun \ˈka-tə-ˌgȯr-ē\

plural cat·e·go·ries

Definition of CATEGORY

1

: any of several fundamental and distinct classes to which entities or concepts belong

2

: a division within a system of classification

Examples of CATEGORY

1. The cars belong to the same category.
2. Taxpayers fall into one of several categories.
3. She competed for the award in her age category.

Origin of CATEGORY

Late Latin categoria, from Greek katēgoria predication, category, from katēgorein to accuse, affirm, predicate, from kata- + agora public assembly, from ageirein to gather

First Known Use: 1588

Related to CATEGORY

Synonyms: bracket, class, classification, division, family, genus, grade, group, kind, league, order, rank(s), rubric, set, species, tier, type

Related Words: description, feather, ilk, kidney, like, manner, nature, sort; branch, section, speciality, specialty, subclass, subdivision, subgroup, subspecies, variety; breed, race; generation; heading, label, title

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Rhymes with CATEGORY

a priori, allegory, amatory, auditory, bedtime story, cacciatore, castratory, con amore, cover story, crematory, damnatory, decretory, dilatory, dormitory, excretory, expletory, feudatory, fumitory, Göteborg, gustatory, gyratory, horror story, hortatory, hunky-dory, inventory, laudatory, lavatory, mandatory, migratory, minatory, monitory, Montessori, morning glory, nugatory, offertory, oratory, overstory, piscatory, precatory, predatory, prefatory, probatory, promissory, promontory, purgatory, repertory, Ruwenzori, signatory, statutory, sudatory, territory, transitory, understory, vibratory, vomitory, yakitori