Meanings
comparative more categorical · superlative most categorical
- Absolute; having no exception.
We now see that they [propositions] are either conditional or unconditional, or, as the logicians say, hypothetical (conditional) or categorical (unconditional).
1856, Robert Gordon Latham, Logic in the Application to Language1 more example
Daytime interests are clearly not such far-reaching psychical sources of dreams as might have been expected from the categorical assertions that everyone continues to carry on his daily business in his dreams.
1900, Sigmund Freud, translated by James Strachey, The Interpretation of Dreams: Avon Books, page 74Synonyms: absolute, categoric, unconditional, categorial
- Of, pertaining to, or using a category or categories.
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveAbsolute; having no exception.
antonym(s) of “absolute, having no exception”
More synonyms by meaning
adjectiverelating to or included in a category or categories
adjectivenot modified or restricted by reservations
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From Late Latin catēgoricus + -al. By surface analysis, category + -ical.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian окончателен, безусловен
- окончателен (okončatelen)absolute; having no exception
- безусловен (bezusloven)absolute; having no exception
- категоричен (kategoričen)of, pertaining to, or using categories
Catalan categòric
- categòricabsolute; having no exception
Czech kategorický
- kategorickýabsolute; having no exception
Danish kategorisk
- kategoriskabsolute; having no exception
French catégorique, catégoriel
- catégoriqueabsolute; having no exception
- catégorielof, pertaining to, or using categories
- catégorielleof, pertaining to, or using categories
German kategorisch, kategorisch
- kategorischabsolute; having no exception
- kategorischof, pertaining to, or using categories
Hungarian kategorikus
- kategorikusabsolute; having no exception
Italian categoriale, categoriale
- categorialeabsolute; having no exception
- categorialeof, pertaining to, or using categories
Japanese 無条件の, 例外無き
- 無条件の (mujōken no)absolute; having no exception
- 例外無き (reigainaki)absolute; having no exception
- 分類上の (bunruijō no)of, pertaining to, or using categories
Polish kategoryczny
- kategorycznyabsolute; having no exception
Portuguese categórico, taxativo
- categóricoabsolute; having no exception
- taxativoabsolute; having no exception
- categóricoof, pertaining to, or using categories
Romanian categoric, categorial
- categoricabsolute; having no exception
- categorialof, pertaining to, or using categories
Russian категори́ческий
- категори́ческий (kategoríčeskij)absolute; having no exception
Spanish tajante, taxativo
- tajanteabsolute; having no exception
- taxativoabsolute; having no exception
Swedish kategorisk
- kategoriskabsolute; having no exception
Tagalog mulisipin
- mulisipinof, pertaining to, or using categories
Ukrainian категори́чний
- категори́чний (katehorýčnyj)absolute; having no exception
Cite this entry
categorical. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/categorical
“categorical.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/categorical. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “categorical,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/categorical.
Source: categorical on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.