1. absolute and unqualified; without exceptions or conditions
2. relating to or involving categories or classification
Usage: formal; academic

Examples

• The principal gave a categorical denial of the allegations.
• She made a categorical statement that she would never return.
• The judge issued a categorical ruling on the matter.
• His categorical refusal surprised everyone at the meeting.
• The data was organized into categorical variables for analysis.
• The researcher used categorical thinking to group the responses.