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.
Richard P. Binzel et al.The town is a bifurcated community—two distinct communities in one, really.—Dennis Farney
Dennis Farney… the strange bifurcated world of whiteness and blackness in which I was born and reared.—William Styron
William Styron
Examples of bifurcated in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Birdsong and road noise are the poles of Bray Poor’s bifurcated sound world.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2023
Ancient Roman poet Prudentius even blames a bifurcated tongue as the very origin of sin.
—Parizaad Khan Sethi, Allure, 24 Aug. 2023
The case involved a challenge to Hawaii’s absolute ban on possessing butterfly knives, a type of small knife with a bifurcated handle that folds upward to cover the blade when sheathed.
—Matt Ford, The New Republic, 9 Aug. 2023
Fueling Voelcker's prediction for a bifurcated fleet is the fact that heavy-duty vehicles weigh out of current EPA fuel-economy oversight and have easier emission targets to meet.
—Tony Quiroga, Car and Driver, 29 June 2023
At least the recent It movies had an internal logic to the split, which mirrored the bifurcated structure of Stephen King’s novel.
—Vulture, 14 June 2023
But things at the mysterious corporation are not all they're cracked up to be, and his bifurcated world begins to slowly unravel.
—Andrew Walsh, EW.com, 29 Apr. 2023
This includes the Spousal Support and Attorney Fees issue, along with the bifurcated Validity of Premarital Agreement proceeding.
—Charmaine Patterson, Peoplemag, 4 Feb. 2023
The bifurcated structure, which has both Max and Carson leading storylines that intersect only occasionally, does prove surprisingly effective — in their similarities or contrasts, each half of the story manages to enhance the other without eclipsing it.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Aug. 2022
See More
Jesse Green, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2023
Ancient Roman poet Prudentius even blames a bifurcated tongue as the very origin of sin.
—Parizaad Khan Sethi, Allure, 24 Aug. 2023
The case involved a challenge to Hawaii’s absolute ban on possessing butterfly knives, a type of small knife with a bifurcated handle that folds upward to cover the blade when sheathed.
—Matt Ford, The New Republic, 9 Aug. 2023
Fueling Voelcker's prediction for a bifurcated fleet is the fact that heavy-duty vehicles weigh out of current EPA fuel-economy oversight and have easier emission targets to meet.
—Tony Quiroga, Car and Driver, 29 June 2023
At least the recent It movies had an internal logic to the split, which mirrored the bifurcated structure of Stephen King’s novel.
—Vulture, 14 June 2023
But things at the mysterious corporation are not all they're cracked up to be, and his bifurcated world begins to slowly unravel.
—Andrew Walsh, EW.com, 29 Apr. 2023
This includes the Spousal Support and Attorney Fees issue, along with the bifurcated Validity of Premarital Agreement proceeding.
—Charmaine Patterson, Peoplemag, 4 Feb. 2023
The bifurcated structure, which has both Max and Carson leading storylines that intersect only occasionally, does prove surprisingly effective — in their similarities or contrasts, each half of the story manages to enhance the other without eclipsing it.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Aug. 2022
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bifurcated.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1853, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near bifurcated
Cite this Entry
“Bifurcated.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bifurcated. Accessed 4 Dec. 2023.
Copy Citation
More from Merriam-Webster on bifurcated
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for bifurcated
Britannica English: Translation of bifurcated for Arabic Speakers
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share