categorize

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UK/ˈkætɪɡəˌɹaɪz/Canada, US/ˈkætəɡəˌɹaɪz/Canada, US[ˈkæɾəɡəˌɹaɪz]Canada, US/ˈkætəɡɔˌɹaɪz/

verb

To assign a category; to divide into classes.

“First, categorize incoming messages according to the needed actions.”

Similar
categorise
OriginEnglish category ← French catégorie ← Middle French categorie →
Less commonScrabble 22
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Meanings

verbcategorize (third-person singular simple present categorizes, present participle categorizing, simple past and past participle categorized)

present singular third person categorizes · participle present categorizing · participle past categorized · past categorized · alternative categorise

  1. transitiveTo assign a category; to divide into classes.

    First, categorize incoming messages according to the needed actions.

Synonyms & antonyms

verbplace into or assign to a category

Similar
categorise
Broader
reason
Also see
classifydistributegrouporganizepatternsort

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

From category + -ize.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan categoritzar
  • categoritzarto assign a category
Chinese Mandarin 分類 /分类
  • 分類 /分类 (fēnlèi)to assign a category
Czech kategorizovat
  • kategorizovatto assign a category
Danish kategorisere
  • kategorisereto assign a category
Esperanto kategoriigi
  • kategoriigito assign a category
Finnish luokitella
  • luokitellato assign a category
French classer, classifier
  • classerto assign a category
  • classifierto assign a category
  • catégoriserto assign a category
German kategorisieren
  • kategorisierento assign a category
Greek ταξινομώ, κατηγοριοποιώ
  • ταξινομώ (taxinomó)to assign a category
  • κατηγοριοποιώ (katigoriopoió)to assign a category
Hebrew קטלג, סִוֵּג
  • קטלג (qitlég)to assign a category
  • סִוֵּג (sivvég)to assign a category
Hindi श्रेणीबद्ध
  • श्रेणीबद्ध (śreṇībaddh)to assign a category
Icelandic flokka, draga í dilka
  • flokkato assign a category
  • draga í dilkato assign a category
Italian categorizzare
  • categorizzareto assign a category
Japanese 分類する
  • 分類する (bunrui suru)to assign a category
Māori whakarōpū, whakakāwai
  • whakarōpūto assign a category
  • whakakāwaito assign a category
Norwegian Bokmål kategorisere
  • kategorisereto assign a category
Portuguese categorizar
  • categorizarto assign a category
Romanian categorisi
  • categorisito assign a category
Russian классифици́ровать, категоризи́ровать
  • классифици́ровать (klassificírovatʹ)to assign a category
  • категоризи́ровать (kategorizírovatʹ)to assign a category
Spanish categorizar
  • categorizarto assign a category
Swedish kategorisera
  • kategoriserato assign a category
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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