I. |kad.ə|gȯrə̇kəl, -atə-, -är-, -ōr-, -ēk- adjective
also cat·e·gor·ic -rik, -ēk
Etymology: categorical from Late Latin categoric us (from Greek katēgorikos, from katēgoria category) + English -al; categoric from Late Latin categoricus
1.
a. : absolute , unqualified — distinguished from conditional and hypothetical
b. : marked by clear certain positive statement or effect without qualifying, reserving, temporizing, or obscuring
asked for a categorical answer — Allan Nevins & H.S.Commager
a categorical no
2. : categorial
Synonyms: see explicit
II. noun
( -s )
: a categorical proposition or judgment