Standard Lemma guide

categorization

noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /ˌkæt.ə.ɡɚ.əˈzeɪ.ʃən/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌkæt.ə.ɡər.aɪˈzeɪ.ʃən/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: K AE2 T AH0 G ER0 IH0 Z EY1 SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A group of things arranged by category.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: classification

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The process of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: classification, typing

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

the act of distributing things into classes or categories of the same type

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: categorisation, classification, compartmentalization, compartmentalisation, assortment

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: grouping

Narrower terms: indexing, reclassification, relegation, stratification, taxonomy, typology

4

noun

Meaning 4

the basic cognitive process of arranging into classes or categories

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: classification, categorisation, sorting

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: basic cognitive process

Narrower terms: coordination, appraisal, assessment, attribution, ascription, cross-classification, cross-division, subsumption

5

noun

Meaning 5

a group of people or things arranged by class or category

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: classification, categorisation

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: arrangement

Narrower terms: dichotomy, duality, trichotomy

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱe? Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm Proto-Indo-European *ḱm̥-th2der.? Proto-Hellenic *kətá Ancient Greek κᾰτᾰ́ (kătắ) Ancient Greek κᾰτᾰ- (kătă-) Proto-Indo-European *h2ger- Proto-Indo-European *h2goréh2 Proto-Hellenic *agorā́ Ancient Greek ᾰ̓γορᾱ́ (ăgorā́) Ancient Greek -εύς (-eús) Ancient Greek -εύω (-eúō) Ancient Greek ἀγορεύω (agoreúō) Ancient Greek κᾰτήγορος (kătḗgoros) Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *-eyéti Proto-Indo-European *-esyéti Proto-Indo-European *-éh1ti Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éh1yeti Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti Ancient Greek -έω (-éō) Ancient Greek κᾰτηγορέω (kătēgoréō) Proto-Indo-European *-h2 Proto-Indo-European *-éh2 Proto-Indo-European *-i-eh2 Proto-Hellenic *-íā Ancient Greek -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā) Ancient Greek κᾰτηγορῐ́ᾱ (kătēgorĭ́ā)bor. Late Latin catēgoriader. Middle French categorie French catégoriebor. Middle English English category Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō)bor. Late Latin -izōder. Middle French -iserbor. Middle English -isen English -ize English categorize Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō Proto-Italic *-tiō Latin -tiō Latin -ātiōlbor. Old French -ationbor. Middle English -acioun English -ation English categorization From categorize + -ation.

Across languages

Translations

29 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 分類 /分类 (fēnlèi) — group of things arranged by category
  • Chinese Mandarin: 歸類 /归类 (guīlèi) — group of things arranged by category
  • Finnish: luokitus — group of things arranged by category
  • Basque: kategorizazio — process of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
  • Catalan: categorització — process of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
  • Chinese Mandarin: 分類 /分类 (fēnlèi) — process of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
  • Chinese Mandarin: 歸類 /归类 (guīlèi) — process of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
  • Czech: kategorizace — process of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
  • Czech: třídění — process of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
  • Czech: klasifikace — process of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
  • Dutch: categoriseren — process of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
  • Finnish: luokittelu — process of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
  • French: catégorisation — process of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
  • Galician: categorización — process of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
  • German: Kategorisierung — process of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
  • Greek: κατηγοριοποίηση (katigoriopoíisi) — process of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
  • Greek: ταξινόμηση (taxinómisi) — process of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
  • Greek: κατάταξη (katátaxi) — process of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
  • Italian: categorizzazione — process of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
  • Malayalam: വർഗ്ഗീകരണം (vaṟggīkaraṇaṁ) — process of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
  • Māori: whakarōpūtanga — process of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
  • Polish: kategoryzacja — process of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
  • Polish: klasyfikacja — process of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
  • Portuguese: categorização — process of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
  • Romanian: categorisire — process of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
  • Russian: категоризация (kategorizacija) — process of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
  • Sikkimese: ཁོངས་རྷོགས (khongs rhogs) — process of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
  • Spanish: categorización — process of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes
  • Yoruba: ìpínsísọ̀rí — process of sorting or arranging things into categories or classes