dichotomy

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noun di·chot·o·my \dī-ˈkä-tə-mē also də-\

Definition of dichotomy

plural

dichotomies

1 : a division into two especially mutually exclusive or contradictory groups or entities the dichotomy between theory and practice; also : the process or practice of making such a division dichotomy of the population into two opposed classes
2 : the phase of the moon or an inferior planet in which half its disk appears illuminated
3a : bifurcation; especially : repeated bifurcation (as of a plant's stem)b : a system of branching in which the main axis forks repeatedly into two branchesc : branching of an ancestral line into two equal diverging branches
4 : something with seemingly contradictory qualities it's a dichotomy, this opulent Ritz-style luxury in a place that fronts on a boat harbor — Jean T. Barrett

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Examples of dichotomy in a Sentence

The amusing spectacle of the recent presidential vote in Florida should remind us of the persistence of the federal-state dichotomy. —Eugene Genovese, Atlantic, March 2001
At the close of this millennium, the favored dichotomy features a supposed battle called “the science wars.” —Stephen Jay Gould, Science, 14 Jan. 2000
… to insist on its being either symbol or fact is to dwell needlessly on a false dichotomy. —Simon Schama, The Embarrassment of Riches, 1988
… the Inuit concept of their environment was centred around the dichotomy between land and sea. —Ian Hodder, Reading the Past, 1986
Her essay discusses the dichotomy between good and evil in the author's novels.
her outfit is a sartorial dichotomy: an elegant gown and ratty old tennis shoes

Recent Examples of dichotomy from the Web

Arriving at the Vogue offices dressed in a girlish Marc Jacobs frock layered beneath a Zana Bayne harness, Kargman is a walking dichotomy.

— edward barsamian, Vogue, "Odd Mom Out’s Jill Kargman On Going Goth and Season 3’s Wardrobe," 11 July 2017
On the field, there has been no such dichotomy, no hint of apprehension.

— dom amore, courant.com, "Here Comes The Yankees' Judge: He's The Real Deal," 10 July 2017
This Manichean dichotomy means that there’s no way for any reasonable or tempered debate to emerge over proper behavior or coverage.

— ben shapiro, National Review, "No One Emerges from Trump’s Feud with the Media Looking Good," 5 July 2017
That’s the dichotomy between New York and Washington.

— william d. cohan, The Hive, "The Untold Story of How Gary Cohn Fell for Donald Trump," 27 June 2017
That’s the dichotomy between New York and Washington.

— vanityfair.com, "The Untold Story of How Gary Cohn Fell for Donald Trump," 24 June 2017
Among the oldest dichotomies in movies is between those motion pictures that take the world as given (cinéma vérité) and those that create their very own (animation).

— j. hoberman, New York Times, "The Art of Animated Reality: Walerian Borowczyk and Jacques Demy," 23 June 2017
For Boundless, Tamaki skips over the comic-graphic novel dichotomy altogether.

— rowan hisayo buchanan, The Atlantic, "The Cartoonist Who Makes You Look Twice," 18 June 2017
Nunez’s position is illustrative of the dichotomy of Boulder County’s super-heated economy: Jobs are plentiful, yet incomes are declining.

— shay castle, The Denver Post, "Wealth paradox: Income in Boulder County is on a downward slide," 17 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dichotomy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

dichotomy and false dichotomy

The two most commonly used senses of dichotomy are easily (and often) confused. The older one refers to the division of something into two groups that often are mutually exclusive or contradictory (as in “the dichotomy between good and evil”). Like trichotomy (meaning “division into three parts”), this sense denotes separation into different elements, but it adds the connotation of oppositeness. The newer sense of dichotomy denotes a thing that appears to have contradictory qualities, such as a lemonade stand found in a war zone. Dichotomy is frequently found in the company of the word false; a false dichotomy is a kind of fallacy in which one is given only two choices when in fact other options are available.