# categorization

/ˌkætəɡɝɪˈzeɪʃən/ (US) · CEFR C1 · Noun

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/categorization
Updated: 2026-05-20

## Definition

the process of putting things into groups based on what they have in common. You use this when you want to organize information or objects into different classes.

For teachers: the process of classifying or arranging things into groups according to shared characteristics. Often used in academic or technical contexts to describe systematic data organization.

## Examples

- The categorization of the books helps us find them faster.
- The software uses automatic categorization to sort incoming emails into folders like 'Work', 'Personal', and 'Spam'.
- The failure of the project was largely attributed to poor categorization of the data, which led to significant overlap between the research teams and redundant analysis.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.