Categorical

Etymology

From Greek "katēgorikos," from "katēgoria" ("assertion, predication, accusation"), from "katēgorein" ("to assert, to accuse"). Aristotle used the term for basic classes of predication, and Kant made the "categorical imperative" a command binding without condition. That "unconditional, unqualified" thread gives us the everyday sense.

adjective · /kat-uh-GOR-ih-kul/
Stated absolutely and without qualification or exception.
What it names
Use it for the flat, unconditional statement — a categorical denial admits no ifs or maybes, leaving no room to walk the claim back later.
Example
The spokesperson issued a categorical denial: no meetings, no money, no exceptions.
Related idea
Compare dogmatic: a single utterance can be categorical without fault, whereas dogmatic condemns a standing refusal to entertain doubt.
adjective · /kat-uh-GOR-ih-kul/
Relating to categories; in statistics, describing data that sorts items into distinct groups rather than measuring them on a scale.
What it names
a data type — variables like color, species, or yes/no, as opposed to numerical quantities
Example
Eye color is a categorical variable; height is a numerical one.
Related idea
Both senses come from “category”: a categorical statement admits no shades between its classes, and categorical data admits no in-between values — everything falls into one bin or another.