categorical
adjective
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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 come from the Greek word katēgoria, which Aristotle used to name the ten 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 the role they play in our understanding of the world. High-level philosophical disputes aside, the word categorical continues to sometimes describe an absolute assertion, one that involves no conditions or hypotheses—for example, the statement "hot dogs are sandwiches all humans are mortal."
Examples of categorical in a Sentence
Austin Mock, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2025
Though some agencies have historically required disclosure of intimate relationships in high-risk postings, a categorical non-fraternization order in a country as geopolitically significant as China marks a rare step.
—Lee Habeeb, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Apr. 2025
No ‘categorical right’ The Supreme Court ruled in 2023 that the PBA stretched Marsy’s Law too far.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2025
This is a logical fallacy—specifically, a misinterpretation of categorical logic.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Categorical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/categorical. Accessed 11 Apr. 2025.
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categorical
adjective
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