bifurcated

adjective

bi·​fur·​cat·​ed ˈbī-(ˌ)fər-ˌkā-təd 

bī-ˈfər-

: divided into two branches or parts

This near-earth asteroid appears as a bifurcated structure, consisting of two distinct lobes that seem to be in contact.

—Richard P. Binzel et al.

The town is a bifurcated community—two distinct communities in one, really.

—Dennis Farney

… the strange bifurcated world of whiteness and blackness in which I was born and reared.

—William Styron

Examples of bifurcated in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

As the bifurcated family grew further apart and photographs faded, the lives of those living in the United States gradually normalized. —Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025

This bifurcated narrative structure will forever bring to mind Stephen King’s It. —Emma Alpern, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025

Americans were already facing mounting challenges in an increasingly bifurcated consumer economy. —Jessica Dickler, CNBC, 24 Nov. 2025

In honor of the bifurcated source material, every multiplex should flash its lights as moviegoers enter the auditorium and take their seats. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 18 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1853, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bifurcated

• abdicated
• abrogated
• acclimated
• activated
• actuated
• adumbrated
• advocated
• aggravated
• aggregated
• agitated
• allocated
• alternated