two-dimensional
adjective
two-di·men·sion·al
ˈtü-də-ˈmench-nəl 
also -dī-,
-ˈmen(t)-shə-nᵊl
1
: of, relating to, or having two dimensions
The most symmetric of the two-dimensional objects is the circle, because you can rotate it any amount and reflect it over any axis through its center, and it remains exactly the same …—
Tamara M. Davis
Tamara M. Davis… consider a piece of paper, a two-dimensional object. Crumple the paper up. The more tightly it's compressed, the more chaotic are its folds, and the closer the two-dimensional surface moves to becoming a three-dimensional solid.—John Briggs and F. David Peat
John Briggs and F. David Peat2
: lacking the illusion of depth : not three-dimensional
His violent, nakedly two-dimensional art can be difficult to capture in photographs, depending as it does in great measure on knotty textures and eccentric color schemes for effect.—Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly3
: lacking depth of characterization
two-dimensional characters
two-dimensionally
adverb
This guide … covers thoroughly and in-depth the process of representing the human form two-dimensionally on paper.
—Heather Halliday
Heather Halliday
Examples of two-dimensional in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
What follows, albeit in list form rather than on a two-dimensional grid, is a ranking of TV dramas about British royals from least to most salacious, taking into account both luridness and seriousness.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 5 Apr. 2024
New semiconductor technology is no longer limited to scaling down the next-generation transistors on a two-dimensional plane.
—Mark Liu, IEEE Spectrum, 28 Mar. 2024
In real life, casting the gaslighter as a two-dimensional villain seems insufficient, another way of avoiding a reckoning with complicity and desire.
—Leslie Jamison, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
The principal type of neuron in the cerebellum, called the Purkinje cell, is widely branching like a fan coral, yet flattened and nearly two-dimensional.
—R Douglas Fields, WIRED, 31 Mar. 2024
This helps machines understand language in a way that goes beyond our simple two-dimensional space, diving into a more complex, multidimensional realm.
—Ilan Nass, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
While the Quran disapproves of three-dimensional forms, condemnation of two-dimensional representation appears in the Hadith (Traditions), composed after the Prophet Muhammad’s death.
—Smithsonian Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Mar. 2024
Neutral-atom arrays can be a two-dimensional grid, which is much easier to scale up.
—Philip Ball, Quanta Magazine, 25 Mar. 2024
The Stravinsky piece will include an actor and two-dimensional paper puppets created by England’s The Paper Cinema, whose work combines puppetry, music and theater with video technology and film.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Mar. 2024
Judy Berman, TIME, 5 Apr. 2024
New semiconductor technology is no longer limited to scaling down the next-generation transistors on a two-dimensional plane.
—Mark Liu, IEEE Spectrum, 28 Mar. 2024
In real life, casting the gaslighter as a two-dimensional villain seems insufficient, another way of avoiding a reckoning with complicity and desire.
—Leslie Jamison, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
The principal type of neuron in the cerebellum, called the Purkinje cell, is widely branching like a fan coral, yet flattened and nearly two-dimensional.
—R Douglas Fields, WIRED, 31 Mar. 2024
This helps machines understand language in a way that goes beyond our simple two-dimensional space, diving into a more complex, multidimensional realm.
—Ilan Nass, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
While the Quran disapproves of three-dimensional forms, condemnation of two-dimensional representation appears in the Hadith (Traditions), composed after the Prophet Muhammad’s death.
—Smithsonian Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Mar. 2024
Neutral-atom arrays can be a two-dimensional grid, which is much easier to scale up.
—Philip Ball, Quanta Magazine, 25 Mar. 2024
The Stravinsky piece will include an actor and two-dimensional paper puppets created by England’s The Paper Cinema, whose work combines puppetry, music and theater with video technology and film.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'two-dimensional.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near two-dimensional
Cite this Entry
“Two-dimensional.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/two-dimensional. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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