dichotomize

American

[dahy-kot-uh-mahyz] / daɪˈkɒt əˌmaɪz /

especially British, dichotomise

verb (used with object)

dichotomized, dichotomizing

to divide or separate into two parts, kinds, etc.

verb (used without object)

dichotomized, dichotomizing

to become divided into two parts; form a dichotomy.

dichotomize British

/ daɪˈkɒtəˌmaɪz /

verb

to divide or become divided into two parts or classifications

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

dichotomist noun
dichotomistic adjective
dichotomization noun

Etymology

Origin of dichotomize

1600–10; < Late Latin dichotom ( os ) dichotomous + -ize

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The legacy of Scott Morrison’s government is that the public debate about pandemic restrictions has been dichotomized, he said.

From New York Times

Redressing this balance in ways that avoid harmful and false dichotomizing, could serve several critical functions in the context of COVID-19, particularly in terms of avoiding growing inequity.

From Scientific American

“If we’re too positive, it can become an empty platitude. The ‘and’ addresses our natural instinct to dichotomize an experience and call it either good or bad.”

From Washington Post

Much of the rhetoric surrounding immigration and potential reform is dichotomized: There is the “us,” the legal citizens of the United States, and the “them,” the foreign others whom President Trump’s proposed wall would obstruct.

From Washington Post

Let's let the scientists share some wisdom with us before we easily dichotomize the human race.

From New York Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023