Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

categorical imperative

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.81 in modern English

Syllables
cat-e-gor-i-cal im-per-a-tive
IPA
33
Scrabble Score
21
Letters
8
Syllables
12
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A fundamental ethical principle intended as a guide for determining whether any contemplated action is morally right, based on the concept that an action is good or bad in and of itself regardless of what the actor's aims or preferences are.

Etymology

From German kategorischer Imperativ.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: kategorischer Imperativ

Inflected Forms

categorical imperatives (plural)

Phrases

golden rule hypothetical imperative moral imperative Ten Commandments

Frequently Paired Words

deontology golden rule hypothetical imperative moral imperative Ten Commandments

Questions

What does categorical imperative mean?
A fundamental ethical principle intended as a guide for determining whether any contemplated action is morally right, based on the concept that an action is good or bad in and of itself regardless of what the actor's aims or preferences are.
Where does categorical imperative come from?
It is traced to German.

How to pronounce categorical imperative

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