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
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
That decision bore rotten fruit when the Oscars similarly used Gascon to break its own categorical norms.
—Armond White, National Review, 5 Mar. 2025
The first executive order calls for considering new categorical exclusions under the National Environmental Policy Act, potentially allowing more logging projects to bypass thorough environmental reviews.
—Angrej Singh, Axios, 3 Mar. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Categorical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/categorical. Accessed 21 Mar. 2025.
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categorical
adjective
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