classificatory

Classificatory is an adjective that relates to classification or the act of classifying. It is used to describe systems, methods, or processes that organize items into categories based on shared properties or criteria.

In fields such as biology, library and information science, and data analysis, classificatory frameworks provide structured schemes for sorting diverse items. Examples include biological taxonomy, which classifies living organisms, and library classification schemes like the Dewey Decimal System. These are described as classificatory because they impose predefined classes to guide organization and retrieval.

Classificatory approaches emphasize the arrangement of items into a fixed taxonomy, as opposed to purely descriptive catalogs that record items without placing them into hierarchical groups. In linguistics or social sciences, the term can refer to schemes that group data into types, categories, or typologies.

Derived from classify with the suffix -atory, the word signals a relation to classification. The corresponding noun forms are classification or taxonomy.