dialectical

[dahy-uh-lek-ti-kuhl]

adjective

1. dialectic.

2. of or characteristic of a dialect; dialectal.

dialectical

/ ˌdaɪəˈlɛktɪkəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to dialectic or dialectics

Usage

See dialectal.

Other Word Forms

• nondialectical adjective
• nondialectically adverb
• undialectical adjective
• dialectically adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of dialectical¹

First recorded in 1520–30; dialectic + -al ¹

Example Sentences

I go back to this idea that comes from dialectical behavioral therapy: Two things can be true.

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The most thrilling moments in my years of teaching drama have come when in the dialectical heat of class discussion, a new way of understanding a scene or a character’s psychology emerges from conflicting perspectives.

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He recently participated in a 10-week dialectical behavior therapy class, but he didn’t get the connection and support he received in past in-person group settings, he said.

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An appreciation of the theater as a dialectical art form that puts perspectives into collision.

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In my own life, I find myself thinking about the philosophy underpinning dialectical behavior therapy, an approach designed for the most challenging situations and intense emotions: learning to simultaneously wholeheartedly accept and change.

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