categórico

Categórico is an adjective used in Spanish (and Portuguese) to describe something that pertains to a category or that is absolute, unconditional, or unequivocal. In philosophical and ethical contexts, the most famous usage is Kant’s imperativo categórico, the unconditional moral law that one should act only according to maxims that could be willed as universal law. The term signals that the obligation is not contingent on particular ends or circumstances.

In logic and rhetoric, proposición categórica or afirmación categórica designates a statement about all or some members of a class that asserts or denies a predicate; in Aristotelian logic these take forms such as universal affirmative (All S are P), universal negative (No S are P), particular affirmative (Some S are P), and particular negative (Some S are not P). The label emphasizes the category-based structure of the claim rather than a hypothetical condition.

In everyday language, categórico can describe a statement or position made with certainty and without qualifications, e.g., a definitiva respuesta—an unequivocal or definitive answer.

Etymology: from Latin categoricus, via French or directly from Greek katēgorikos, related to the idea of a category or classification. Related terms include categorización, categoría, and the contrasting concept hipotético.