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

… 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

2

: 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

3

: lacking depth of characterization

two-dimensional characters

two-dimensionality

ˈtü-də-ˌmen(t)-shə-ˈna-lə-tē 

 also  -dī-

noun

plural two-dimensionalities

two-dimensionally adverb

This guide … covers thoroughly and in-depth the process of representing the human form two-dimensionally on paper.

—Heather Halliday

Examples of two-dimensional in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

To understand them, mathematicians ponder what can happen to the two-dimensional surfaces embedded in them. —Jordana Cepelewicz, Quanta Magazine, 22 Apr. 2024

Our work introduced a two-dimensional skin tone scale to enable AI developers to identify biases along light versus dark tones and red versus yellow hues going forward. —Alice Xiang, Fortune, 19 Apr. 2024

This special extra layer is a semiconductor sheet stamped with a two-dimensional array of nanoscale holes. —Susumu Noda, IEEE Spectrum, 14 Apr. 2024

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

Word History

First Known Use

1863, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

two-dimensional

adjective

: of, relating to, or having two dimensions (as length and width)