false dichotomy
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of false dichotomy
First recorded in 1870–75
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.
It is a win-win-win outcome that challenges the false dichotomy of conservation versus production that has dominated public debate for decades.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 4, 2026
"Delhi's incredibly rich past has contributed to its evolution as a unique city. To pitch it against progress or development is a false dichotomy," says historian Sohail Hashmi.
From BBC ● Feb. 8, 2024
But this is a dangerous, false dichotomy that must be rejected.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 22, 2023
I think there’s a false dichotomy — that we pretend the life of the artist doesn’t matter, or on the other end, that the biography and the art are the same thing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2023
In a recent press release, the pro-democracy advocacy group The Lincoln Project summarized this false dichotomy perfectly:
From Salon ● Mar. 18, 2023
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
