categorization

C3A1T1E1G2O1R1I1Z10A1T1I1O1N1
UK/ˌkæt.ə.ɡə.ɹaɪˈzeɪ.ʃən/Canada, US/ˌkæt.ə.ɡə.ɹəˈzeɪ.ʃən/Canada, US[ˌkæɾ.ə.ɡə.ɹəˈzeɪ.ʃən]

noun

A group of things arranged by category.

Similar
classificationtypingcategorisationsortingcompartmentalizationcompartmentalisationassortment
OriginEnglish categorize ← French catégorie ← Middle French categorie →
Less commonScrabble 26
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nouncategorization (countable and uncountable, plural categorizations)

plural categorizations · alternative categorisation

  1. countableuncountableA group of things arranged by category.

    Synonyms: classification

  2. countableuncountableThe process of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes.

    It’s fair to say that Wikipedia has spent far more time considering the philosophical ramifications of categorization than Aristotle and Kant ever did.

    2013 April 29, James Gleick, “Wikipedia's Women Problem”, in New York Review of Books

    Synonyms: classification, typing

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA group of things arranged by category.

Similar
classification

nounThe process of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes.

Similar
classificationtyping

More synonyms by meaning

nouna group of people or things arranged by class or category

Similar
classificationcategorisation
Broader
arrangement

nounthe basic cognitive process of arranging into classes or categories

Similar
classificationcategorisationsorting
Broader
basic cognitive process

nounthe act of distributing things into classes or categories of the same type

Similar
categorisationclassificationcompartmentalizationcompartmentalisationassortment
Broader
grouping
Also see
assortmentclassificationcompartmentalizationsortingtyping

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*ḱe?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*ḱóm
  3. Proto-Indo-European*ḱm̥-th₂der.?
  4. Proto-Hellenic*kətá
  5. Ancient Greekκᾰτᾰ́ (kătắ)
  6. Ancient Greekκᾰτᾰ- (kătă-)
  7. Proto-Indo-European*h₂ger-
  8. Proto-Indo-European*h₂goréh₂
  9. Proto-Hellenic*agorā́
  10. Ancient Greekᾰ̓γορᾱ́ (ăgorā́)
  11. Ancient Greekἀγορεύω (agoreúō)
  12. Ancient Greekκᾰτήγορος (kătḗgoros)
  13. Ancient Greekκᾰτηγορέω (kătēgoréō)
  14. Ancient Greekκατηγορία (katēgoría)
  15. Late Latincatēgoria
  16. Middle Frenchcategorie
  17. Frenchcatégorie
  18. Englishcategory
  19. Englishcategorize
  20. Englishcategorization

From categorize + -ation.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Basque kategorizazio
  • kategorizazioprocess of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
Catalan categorització
  • categoritzacióprocess of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
Chinese Mandarin 分類 /分类, 歸類 /归类
  • 分類 /分类 (fēnlèi)group of things arranged by category
  • 歸類 /归类 (guīlèi)group of things arranged by category
  • 分類 /分类 (fēnlèi)process of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
  • 歸類 /归类 (guīlèi)process of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
Czech kategorizace, třídění
  • kategorizaceprocess of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
  • tříděníprocess of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
  • klasifikaceprocess of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
Dutch categoriseren
  • categoriserenprocess of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
Finnish luokitus, luokittelu
  • luokitusgroup of things arranged by category
  • luokitteluprocess of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
French catégorisation
  • catégorisationprocess of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
German Kategorisierung
  • Kategorisierungprocess of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
Greek κατηγοριοποίηση, ταξινόμηση
  • κατηγοριοποίηση (katigoriopoíisi)process of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
  • ταξινόμηση (taxinómisi)process of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
  • κατάταξη (katátaxi)process of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
Italian categorizzazione
  • categorizzazioneprocess of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
Māori whakarōpūtanga
  • whakarōpūtangaprocess of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
Polish kategoryzacja, kategoryzacja
  • kategoryzacjagroup of things arranged by category
  • kategoryzacjaprocess of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
  • klasyfikacjaprocess of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
Portuguese categorização
  • categorizaçãoprocess of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
Romanian categorisire
  • categorisireprocess of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
Russian категоризация
  • категоризация (kategorizacija)process of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
Spanish categorización
  • categorizaciónprocess of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
Turkish sınıflandırma
  • sınıflandırmaprocess of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
Cite this entry
APA

categorization. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/categorization

MLA

“categorization.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/categorization. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “categorization,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/categorization.

Source: categorization on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.