two-dimensional
Americanadjective
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having the dimensions of height and width only.
a two-dimensional surface.
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(of a work of art) having its elements organized in terms of a flat surface, especially emphasizing the vertical and horizontal character of the picture plane.
the two-dimensional structure of a painting.
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(in a literary work) shallow, unconvincing, or superficial in execution.
a novel having two-dimensional characters.
adjective
-
of, having, or relating to two dimensions, usually describable in terms of length and breadth or length and height
-
lying on a plane; having an area but not enclosing any volume
-
lacking in depth, as characters in a literary work
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(of painting or drawing) lacking the characteristics of form or depth
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of two-dimensional
First recorded in 1895–1900
Explanation
Two-dimensional things are flat — they can be measured in length and width, but they have no depth. Geometrical shapes like squares, circles, and polygons are all two-dimensional. A sheet of paper may seem to be two-dimensional, but because it does have a measurable (if tiny) depth, it's actually three-dimensional. Your dog is also three-dimensional, but a picture of him on your computer screen is two-dimensional. You can also use this mathematical adjective to mean "superficial," or "shallow." A bad guy in a movie might be described as a two-dimensional character, for example, since he seems to have "no depth."
Vocabulary lists containing two-dimensional
Geometry - Introductory
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Geometry - Middle School
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Geometry - High School
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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.
Bound within the confines of a screen, Digital Richard looks largely two dimensional, but he's no ordinary chatbot.
From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026
But the thin slices of tissue that pathologists most often use to diagnose disease are two dimensional, offering only a limited glimpse at the tissue's true complexity.
From Science Daily • May 9, 2024
"What I often say is that we tend to focus on this two dimensional surface of the rock that we were born on, that's the Earth," Loeb told Salon.
From Salon • Dec. 25, 2022
The 48-year-old artist toggles between two dimensional works, sculpture, installations and multimedia.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 9, 2020
It would not, for in this case the shadow is two dimensional, the pin three dimensional.
From The Street That Wasn't There by Jacobi, Carl Richard
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.
