two-dimensional

[ too-di-men-shuh-nl, -dahy- ]

/ ˈtu dɪˈmɛn ʃə nl, -daɪ- /

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adjective

having the dimensions of height and width only: a two-dimensional surface.

(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.

(in a literary work) shallow, unconvincing, or superficial in execution: a novel having two-dimensional characters.

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THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of two-dimensional

First recorded in 1895–1900

OTHER WORDS FROM two-dimensional

two-di·men·sion·al·i·ty, nountwo-di·men·sion·al·ly, adverb

Words nearby two-dimensional

two can play at that game, twoccing, two cents, two-color, two-cycle, two-dimensional, two-edged, two-faced, two-family house, twofer, two-fisted

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use two-dimensional in a sentence

In the past, her character has tended toward the two-dimensional: the chilly villainess.
Game of Thrones’ Ep. 5 'First of His Name' Recap: An Ode to the Women of Westeros|Andrew Romano|May 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Silicon chips are typically two-dimensional, Boahen explained, limiting the number of dedicated currents they can utilize.
The Computer That Replicates a Human Brain|Dale Eisinger|May 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Prince tries to avoid the two-dimensional in other areas as well.
New York’s Greatest Show Or How They Did Not Screw Up ‘Guys and Dolls’|Ross Wetzsteon|April 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She argued that these men and women were typically not psychopaths or two-dimensional monsters.
Inside the Nazi Mind at the Nuremberg Trials|Thomas Harding|September 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST

The two-dimensional photograph becomes 3-D where the artist has constructed a little ledge with rocks.
The Best Things to See at Frieze Art Fair NY 2013|Isabel Wilkinson|May 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The two-dimensional geometries of Riemann and Lobachevski are thus correlated to the Euclidean geometry.
The Foundations of Science: Science and Hypothesis, The Value of Science, Science and Method|Henri Poincar
The images of external objects are painted on the retina, which is a two-dimensional canvas; they are perspectives.
The Foundations of Science: Science and Hypothesis, The Value of Science, Science and Method|Henri Poincar
For this purpose we will first give our attention once more to the geometry of two-dimensional spherical surfaces.
Sidelights on Relativity|Albert Einstein
Black and white, right and wrong, the proper course and the improper course—he lived in a sort of two-dimensional ethical world.
The Breaking Point|Mary Roberts Rinehart
We may thus classify all labyrinths, for a start, as either two-dimensional or three-dimensional.
Mazes and Labyrinths|W. H. Matthews

British Dictionary definitions for two-dimensional

two-dimensional

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

(of painting or drawing) lacking the characteristics of form or depth

Derived forms of two-dimensional

two-dimensionality, nountwo-dimensionally, 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