Categoric

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Completely absolute and without exceptions or conditions
2. Expressing a statement or position that is clear, definite, and unconditional
3. Conveying a resolution or judgment that leaves no room for doubt or variation

Etymology: "Categoric" descends from Late Latin "categoricus," which itself came from Greek "katēgorikos," meaning "affirmative" or "predicative," a term used in logic for a statement that asserts something outright. Aristotle's "katēgoriai," the ten basic kinds of predicate, gave the root its sense of assertion and classification, and the Latin adjective carried that logical meaning forward. The English word is formed from "category" plus the adjectival suffix "-ic." The sense "completely without conditions" grows out of that logical idea. A categorical assertion is one that makes its claim flatly, with no "if" or "unless" attached, so the modern meaning of a categorical refusal or denial follows naturally from the older language of logic. The word is therefore the same family as "categorical," with the -ic ending giving a slightly more technical flavour in many uses.

Synonyms: absolute, unconditional, definite, explicit, categorical

Antonyms: conditional, ambiguous, uncertain, vague, indefinite