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categorical variable

categorical variable A categorical variable is a variable whose values fall into named groups rather than having a natural order.

A categorical variable is a variable whose values fall into named groups rather than having a natural order. Its categories can be given numbers for coding, but those numbers do not carry numerical meaning.

Also see

Sources

Drafting source: Online Statistics Education, version 2 (David M. Lane, project leader). Version 2; publisher statement snapshot 2026-10-18; SHA-256 0dcad9ee85f61f9e2bb24d26279de155ac749164ea4da2a3bffeabcf9ea471a6. “Qualitative Variable” (qualitative_variable.html).
public-domain-US · Source snapshot SHA-256: fe5a082cf5916920cd2d95ed6ac4bf9f6ad79e858f14f897bfe2b08d60bfc7b6

These citations identify the drafting sources. 2/2 independent reader passes against the pinned source packet. The drafter does not count as a reader. Source institutions do not endorse this dictionary.

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PsychTerms (psychterms.org), CC BY 4.0, version 1. “categorical variable.” Development preview.

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