categorical

Everyday

1. Very clear and certain, with no doubt at all («a categorical no»). tree →
2. (maths, formal) To do with categories or groups; categorical data is sorted into groups, not measured with numbers. tree →

In the lessons

In everyday life and the news it describes a firm, absolute answer or promise — «a categorical denial». In school maths and statistics, categorical data means things like favourite colour or type of pet, which go into a tally chart, bar chart or pie chart rather than being measured. It tells the reader there is no maybe. Adverb: «categorically».

Examples

• The head teacher gave a categorical no to phones in class. tree →
• The minister issued a categorical denial of the story. tree →
• Favourite fruit is categorical data, but height is not. tree →
• We sorted the categorical data into a bar chart. tree →
• I can say with categorical certainty that I locked the door. tree →
• Dad was categorical: no screens after eight. tree →
• Eye colour is an example of categorical data. tree →

Note

Adjective; adverb «categorically» («I categorically refuse»). In maths, categorical data (groups, names) is different from numerical data (measurements, counts); you can count how many are in each group but you cannot find the mean of colours.