bidirectional

adjective

bi·​di·​rec·​tion·​al ˌbī-də-ˈrek-sh(ə-)nəl 

-dī-

: involving, moving, or taking place in two usually opposite directions

bidirectional flow

bidirectional replication of DNA

bidirectionally adverb

Examples of bidirectional in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Further on, standard features come in the form of a bidirectional quickshifter and cruise control owing to new Electronic Throttle Valves. —New Atlas, 2 Oct. 2025

The company offers bidirectional integrations with major HR platforms like Greenhouse, BambooHR, Namely, and HiBob, so that employers can synchronize onboarding and employment data across all systems. —Lyssanoel Frater, USA Today, 1 Oct. 2025

That idea has more recently been supplanted by the concept of bidirectional assimilation, the theory that just as immigrants adapt to their new country, its institutions adapt to them. —Laura Clawson, JSTOR Daily, 25 Sep. 2025

Dogs’ remarkable social flexibility appears to be both a product of evolutionary domestication and the bidirectional influence of human interaction. —Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1889, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bidirectional

• intersectional
• affectional
• correctional
• directional
• inflectional
• multidirectional
• omnidirectional
• unidirectional
• sectional

Kids Definition

bidirectional

adjective

bi·​di·​rec·​tion·​al ˌbī-də-ˈrek-sh(ə-)nəl 

-dī-

: involving, moving, or taking place in usually two opposite directions

Medical Definition

bidirectional

adjective

bi·​di·​rec·​tion·​al ˌbī-də-ˈrek-shnəl, -dī-, -shən-ᵊl 

: involving, moving, or taking place in two usually opposite directions

bidirectional flow of materials in axons

bidirectional replication of DNA

bidirectionally

-ē 

adverb