dichotomy
division into two parts, kinds, etc.; subdivision into halves or pairs.
division into two mutually exclusive, opposed, or contradictory groups: a dichotomy between thought and action.
Botany. a mode of branching by constant forking, as in some stems, in veins of leaves, etc.
Astronomy. the phase of the moon or of an inferior planet when half of its disk is visible.
Origin of dichotomy
1Other words from dichotomy
- di·cho·tom·ic [dahy-kuh-tom-ik], /ˌdaɪ kəˈtɒm ɪk/, adjective
- di·cho·tom·i·cal·ly, adverb
- sub·di·chot·o·my, noun, plural sub·di·chot·o·mies.
Words Nearby dichotomy
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use dichotomy in a sentence
This is a dichotomy hatched by Ailes, who realized that he could get away with lunacy at night if he balanced it with something approaching sanity during the day.
This dichotomy between nucleated and nonnucleated life became fundamental to biology.
Did Viruses Create the Nucleus? The Answer May Be Near. | Christie Wilcox | November 25, 2020 | Quanta MagazineEven Powell’s attacks on Republican leaders hew to that dichotomy.
What line did Sidney Powell cross that Rudy Giuliani didn’t? | Philip Bump | November 23, 2020 | Washington PostDespite that dichotomy, every major decision must be agreed upon by both of us.
The founders of skin care startup Starface on normalizing uncomfortable conversations | Rachel King | August 31, 2020 | FortuneWork by University of Oxford anthropologist Harvey Whitehouse suggests that rituals exist on either side of a dichotomy.
Why do we miss the rituals put on hold by the COVID-19 pandemic? | Sujata Gupta | August 14, 2020 | Science News
Both heroines are women, but they offer a pretty bizarre dichotomy for girls: Ice queen or ditzy princess.
To be sure, there is often a stark dichotomy between so-called opinion leaders and rank and file believers.
Christians Enraged With Cruz Over Pro-Israel Comments | Tim Mak | September 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThis is the baffling, awkward dichotomy that is MTV in 2014.
Butts, ‘Bang Bang’ & Beyoncé: The Craziest MTV Video Music Awards Moments | Kevin Fallon | August 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTNo, the whole point of a superhero with a secret identity is the dichotomy.
Model Minority Rage: Why the Hulk Should Be an Asian Guy | Arthur Chu | July 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIt was this dichotomy that made Don a fascinating, layered character.
What's Happened to Don Draper? Why Everyone’s Favorite ‘Mad Men’ Stud Needs His Mojo Back | Lizzie Crocker | April 16, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThis phenomenon may be explained by what Semon calls alternating ecphoria in mnemic dichotomy.
The Sexual Question | August ForelSimilarly, the engram of the ecphoriated dichotomy is most often that which has been previously most often repeated.
The Sexual Question | August ForelThe nature of the universe is proved too subtle for this dichotomy.
Studies of the Greek Poets (Vol II of 2) | John Addington SymondsTherefore, discovery of an early dichotomy from the common ancestral stock of the tribe would come as no surprise.
Evolution and Classification of the Pocket Gophers of the Subfamily Geomyinae | Robert J. RussellThere is a term in logic—dichotomy—a sharp division, a cutting in two, an opposing of contradictories.
Mrs. Maxon Protests | Anthony Hope
British Dictionary definitions for dichotomy
/ (daɪˈkɒtəmɪ) /
division into two parts or classifications, esp when they are sharply distinguished or opposed: the dichotomy between eastern and western cultures
logic the division of a class into two mutually exclusive subclasses: the dichotomy of married and single people
botany a simple method of branching by repeated division into two equal parts
the phase of the moon, Venus, or Mercury when half of the disc is visible
Origin of dichotomy
1usage For dichotomy
Derived forms of dichotomy
- dichotomous or dichotomic (ˌdaɪkəʊˈtɒmɪk), adjective
- dichotomously, adverb
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
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