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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

The flourishes may be two-dimensional, but because of them, the car looks just like one Arsham’s sculptures. —Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 21 Apr. 2023

The current exhibit at the JCC is more two-dimensional, Rosenberg said. —Jacob Gurvis, Sun Sentinel, 21 Apr. 2023

The new emblem is darker and more two-dimensional than the chrome badge seen on current Genesis models. —Joey Capparella, Car and Driver, 6 Apr. 2023

Applying pen to paper, the mathematicians constructed the concept of cellular automata, dynamical entities made up of shaded or unshaded cells skipping across a two-dimensional grid. —Shi En Kim, Scientific American, 6 Apr. 2023

When the device is on (when 6 V are applied to the gate), electrons flow from the drain to the source in a flat region called a two-dimensional electron gas. —IEEE Spectrum, 26 Mar. 2023

So two-dimensional category theory got quite well developed to deal with one-dimensional categories. —Steven Strogatz, Quanta Magazine, 22 Mar. 2023

This engagement, which was not happening in galleries and museums, fostered the radical belief among the Transcendentalists that if artists were doing their job, viewers could access a portal to understanding nature, music and self — a fourth dimension on a two-dimensional surface. —Kealey Boyd, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2023

And there have been a number of examples of functional hardware being built from these two-dimensional materials. —John Timmer, Ars Technica, 21 Mar. 2023

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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)