as in absolutely
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Recent Examples of categorically
The signatories of Tuesday’s letter categorically rejected the use of military intervention.
—
Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 10 Mar. 2026
Anti-American and antisemitic rhetoric should be categorically unacceptable in any venue.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 3 Mar. 2026
Any claims to the contrary are categorically false.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Feb. 2026
Advertisement But overall, the change to the RSP leaves Anthropic far less constrained by its own safety policies, which previously categorically barred it from training models above a certain level if appropriate safety measures weren’t already in place.
—Billy Perrigo, Time, 24 Feb. 2026
Treatment is discontinued, pills are split, medication is rationed, and outcomes are categorically worse when medical debt erodes access to care.
—Allison Sesso, STAT, 20 Feb. 2026
The accusation that Jeffrey Epstein somehow worked for Israel or the Mossad ran a blackmail ring is categorically and totally false.
—Efrat Lachter , Amelie Botbol, FOXNews.com, 15 Feb. 2026
That’s an argument Democrats have categorically rejected, especially when it’s been used to prevent members of Congress from entering detention centers run by ICE.
—Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 6 Feb. 2026
The Manhattan Federal Court complaint against Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the State Department says a policy categorically barring visa applicants from 75 countries is based on demonstrably false claims that immigrants of specific nationalities rely on cash welfare.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 2 Feb. 2026
Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 10 Mar. 2026
Anti-American and antisemitic rhetoric should be categorically unacceptable in any venue.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 3 Mar. 2026
Any claims to the contrary are categorically false.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Feb. 2026
Advertisement But overall, the change to the RSP leaves Anthropic far less constrained by its own safety policies, which previously categorically barred it from training models above a certain level if appropriate safety measures weren’t already in place.
—Billy Perrigo, Time, 24 Feb. 2026
Treatment is discontinued, pills are split, medication is rationed, and outcomes are categorically worse when medical debt erodes access to care.
—Allison Sesso, STAT, 20 Feb. 2026
The accusation that Jeffrey Epstein somehow worked for Israel or the Mossad ran a blackmail ring is categorically and totally false.
—Efrat Lachter , Amelie Botbol, FOXNews.com, 15 Feb. 2026
That’s an argument Democrats have categorically rejected, especially when it’s been used to prevent members of Congress from entering detention centers run by ICE.
—Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 6 Feb. 2026
The Manhattan Federal Court complaint against Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the State Department says a policy categorically barring visa applicants from 75 countries is based on demonstrably false claims that immigrants of specific nationalities rely on cash welfare.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 2 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for categorically
Adverb
-
Our expert says your AC coils absolutely beed to be cleaned before summer arrives.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
8 Mar. 2026
-
The Dominicans and Venezuelans have been dancing in the dugouts and the Puerto Rican team was absolutely jubilant after Saturday night’s extra-inning walk-off win over Panama.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
8 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Sustained, strong winds with even stronger gusts are happening.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Yet even Red Sox lifers have to be confused by the 2026 broadcast rotation.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
12 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Two participants mentioned that their depression had abated completely.—
Clayton Dalton,
New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Across the Eastern Alps, scientists estimate that 30 percent of glaciers could disappear completely by 2030.—
Nidhi Sharma,
Popular Science,
13 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Michael Judd, an attorney for news media, urged the judge to keep the upcoming hearing entirely open.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Mar. 2026
-
From that point, the cycle of roaming from beach to pool to spa to catamaran to tennis courts takes over, moving at the speed set entirely by you, the guest.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
14 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
The Mets’ continual snub of Hall of Famer Carter, a pivotal player in the team’s history as the first building block of the 1986 championship club, is both mystifying and downright embarrassing.—
Bill Madden,
New York Daily News,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Kansas followed the ugly with the downright ghastly, a 69-47 loss Friday night to Houston during which the Jayhawks (Shop KU) missed 17 straight shots in the Big 12 tournament semifinals.—
Sam McDowell
Updated March 14,
Kansas City Star,
14 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
This under-$40 Amazon pick totally does the trick, and even comes with a little matching pouch.—
Annie Blackman,
InStyle,
13 Mar. 2026
-
For the first time in a long time, the Oscar race seems to be totally up in the air.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
13 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Kim Kardashian is a generational icon with more global name recognition than almost any living human and can be almost wholly credited with creating a new reality TV paradigm.—
Nate Freeman,
Vanity Fair,
11 Mar. 2026
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Meanwhile, Sakaba is an unpredictable but wholly delicious contemporary Japanese restaurant.—
Hana Asbrink,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
11 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Categorically.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/categorically. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
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