Definition of CATEGORICAL

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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").

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 on the Web Such encounters are typically described in terms of a linear or categorical value assessment, in which, for example, males will fight more aggressively in the presence of females. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "There’s no place like the perfectly sized home for the mighty mantis shrimp," 29 Oct. 2020 Along with her gameness, this lack of snobbery or affect is one of Kruger’s appealing qualities, one that’s essential to her larger project: breaking down categorical thinking and the unrelenting power of stereotypes that divide us. — Megan O’grady, New York Times, "Barbara Kruger," 19 Oct. 2020 Gauderman said government attorneys often try to argue that gangs attack everyone, that there is no categorical reason for this kind of persecution. — Kate Morrissey, San Diego Union-Tribune, "A legitimate fear of death doesn’t always matter in the US asylum system," 11 Oct. 2020 At the time, the Vatican opposed capital punishment in virtually all circumstances; Pope Francis clarified in 2018 that the church’s opposition to executions is categorical. — Matt Ford, The New Republic, "The Amy Coney Barrett Discourse Is a Trap," 28 Sep. 2020 The federal judiciary must enforce existing antitrust prohibitions, including the categorical ban on tying by firms with power, and open the app market for iPhone owners and app developers. — Mike Snider, USA TODAY, "An Epic showdown: 'Fortnite' publisher's suits vs. Apple, Google and what it means for you," 16 Aug. 2020 California’s near-categorical ban of LCMs strikes at the core of the Second Amendment — the right to armed self-defense. — NBC News, "Federal court rules against California's ban on high-capacity magazines," 14 Aug. 2020 It’s not generally my inclination to make categorical statements like Chris’. — The New York Times News Service Syndicate, The Denver Post, "Giving Rosso di Montalcino a second look," 11 Mar. 2020 Nearly a decade ago, the Obama administration put in place a categorical exclusion on nuclear power plant projects at the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, the predecessor to the DFC, which was formed in December. — Josh Siegel, Washington Examiner, "Trump administration moves to reverse Obama-era ban on financing nuclear energy overseas," 9 June 2020

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.