Belonging to a category or making an absolute, unconditional statement without exceptions.
From Greek kategorikos, meaning 'of or pertaining to a predicate.' It evolved to mean both 'relating to categories' and 'absolute/definitive,' because categorical statements in logic admit no qualification or exception.
Kant's famous 'categorical imperative' in ethics uses this word to mean an absolute moral rule with no conditions—it's why 'categoric' often sounds more forceful and uncompromising than just 'categorical.'
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