variants
also categoric
as in unconditional
having no exceptions or restrictions
a categorical denial of the rumors that the celebrities were planning to get married
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of categorical
Once a senior official declares something with categorical certainty, the system can feel pressure – sometimes subtle, sometimes overt – to validate the headline.
—
Brian O'Neill, The Conversation, 5 Feb. 2026
With no cup football or match load to hide behind, this was a firm, categorical choice by Farke to make Darlow his first choice and Perri his back-up.
—Beren Cross, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2026
Psychological distress rarely maps cleanly onto categorical diagnoses.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 18 Jan. 2026
Hegseth has loosely moderated his once categorical opposition to women serving in ground combat roles after years of arguing that women should be excluded from front-line units.
—Steven Beynon, ABC News, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for categorical
Brian O'Neill, The Conversation, 5 Feb. 2026
With no cup football or match load to hide behind, this was a firm, categorical choice by Farke to make Darlow his first choice and Perri his back-up.
—Beren Cross, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2026
Psychological distress rarely maps cleanly onto categorical diagnoses.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 18 Jan. 2026
Hegseth has loosely moderated his once categorical opposition to women serving in ground combat roles after years of arguing that women should be excluded from front-line units.
—Steven Beynon, ABC News, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for categorical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for categorical
Adjective
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Her loyalty, unconditional love and gratitude will be worth the extra care her heart requires, guaranteed!—
Maryanne Dell,
Oc Register,
28 Mar. 2026
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Sponsored and provided by LifeBridge Health Pets bring joy, companionship and unconditional love into our lives.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Unfortunately, Omnissa’s data didn’t detail exactly how many crashes both Windows and Mac computers suffered in absolute terms, only that Windows came in behind Macs.—
Will McCurdy,
PC Magazine,
28 Mar. 2026
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Despite absolute rulership always resting with the ayatollah, Iran has some functioning republican institutions, including presidential elections.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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If the success of a party is measured by the sheer volume of sequins, few could compete with the Conservative Action Political Conference.—
Sarah Bahari,
Dallas Morning News,
28 Mar. 2026
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At various crucial points in the journey, the crew expects to lose contact with mission control because of the sheer distance and physics involved with the flight.—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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In Catanzaro Lido, a beach town along the Ionian coast, meals tend to be simple and communal.—
Jenna Curcio,
Condé Nast Traveler,
25 Mar. 2026
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In her first interview since becoming head of content at Disney+ EMEA, Angela Jain has said the message to writers and producers is simple, the streamer is going to greenlight more originals from the region and will be backing that effort with extra funds for local fare.—
Stewart Clarke,
Deadline,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The transition from agricultural employment to factory employment involved wrenching mass migration, the utter misery of the Great Depression (as well as other brutal recessions, now faded from collective memory), and the painful dealmaking of the New Deal.—
Annie Lowrey,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
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Other than the utter and complete total collapse of the network broadcast business model.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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There is a definite downside, though.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Mar. 2026
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One definite booking is the Gene Simmons Legends of Rock Expo in Las Vegas in late September where Dave will appear alongside Simmons, Disturbed bassist John Moyer, Vanilla Fudge drummer Carmine Appice, Black Sabbath drummer Vinny Appice, and Kiss guitarist Bruce Kulick.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Charlotte entered the night fifth in total defensive rating at 111 over the better portion of the past three months, and the reason is apparently not all that complicated.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
27 Mar. 2026
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The administration has a goal of reaching a total capacity of 100,000 beds, and it's launched a controversial effort to convert warehouses into holding facilities and aggressively expand detention capacity.—
Martin Kaste,
NPR,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Perhaps no other museum cafe in the city is more beloved than the Neue Galerie's Café Sabarsky, a Viennese cafe that seems to transport guests to Austria, circa 1910, complete with lighting fixtures by Josef Hoffmann, furniture by Adolf Loos, and banquettes upholstered with Otto Wagner fabric.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Mar. 2026
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His metamorphosis into social scientist-cum-sage appears to be complete.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Categorical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/categorical. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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