categorical

play

adjective cat·e·gor·i·cal \ ˌka-tə-ˈgȯr-i-kəl , -ˈgär- \

variants: or less commonly categoric play \-ik\

Definition of categorical

1 :absolute, unqualified

a categorical denial

2 a :of, relating to, or constituting a category

b :involving, according with, or considered with respect to specific categories

a categorical system for classifying books

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categorically

play \-i-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

See categorical defined for English-language learners

See categorical defined for kids

categorical was our Word of the Day on 07/06/2015. Hear the podcast!

Examples of categorical in a Sentence

He issued a categorical denial about his involvement in the deal.
a categorical denial of the rumors that the celebrities were planning to get married

Recent Examples of categorical from the Web

Also working at Wilmot will be Eileen Deignan and Emily Lacost, cross categorical resource teachers.

— steve sadin, chicagotribune.com, "26 new teachers, staff members starting in District 109," 14 Aug. 2017
The state owes Chicago schools about $466.5 million in delayed categorical payments, Moody’s Investors Service said on July 6.

— elizabeth campbell, Bloomberg.com, "Illinois Governor Vetoes Chicago School Aid From Funding Measure," 1 Aug. 2017
Among those unknowns is when the General Assembly might pass a state budget and when the district might receive $15.3 million in state categorical payments, which partially fund special education services.

— suzanne baker, chicagotribune.com, "Parents pack school board meeting in opposition to STEPS move," 13 June 2017
These promises have turned out to be less than categorical.

— andrew rice, Daily Intelligencer, "Is Trump Inc. the President’s Greatest Vulnerability?," 12 June 2017
Superintendent Todd Stirn said it is owed categorical payments, about $2.1 million from the state.

— rafael guerrero, Elgin Courier-News, "Elgin social services, schools ponder future without state budget," 2 June 2017
A year later, Leon Jaworski, the Watergate special prosecutor, took a less categorical position.

— adam liptak, New York Times, "A Constitutional Puzzle: Can the President Be Indicted?," 29 May 2017
Categorical parceling weakens the collective voice.

— jason blevins, The Denver Post, "Recreation’s diverse interests galvanize as outside threats endanger lifestyles, businesses, access and natural resources," 26 May 2017
The White House also proposes nearly halving categorical grants, which support state and local efforts to address everything from pesticide exposure to air and water quality, to $597 million. ...

— emily atkin, New Republic, "Trump’s budget would devastate the EPA more than any other federal agency.," 24 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'categorical.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

The ancestor of categorical and category has been important in logic and philosophy since the days of Aristotle. Both English words derive from Greek katēgoria, which Aristotle used to name the 10 fundamental classes (also called "predications" or "assertions") of terms, things, or ideas into which he felt human knowledge could be organized. Ironically, although those categories and things categorical are supposed to be absolute and fundamental, philosophers have long argued about the number and type of categories that exist and their role in understanding the world. High-level philosophical disputes aside, the word categorical continues to refer to an absolute assertion, one that involves no conditions or hypotheses (for example, the statement "all humans are mortal").