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

The actor wore a bifurcated button-down shirt that was half white, with the other half resembling the colors and shapes of the Palestinian flag: a red triangle against green, white, and black stripes. —James Factora, Them., 16 Apr. 2025

The bifurcated Rome-is-Burning/ Steady-as-she-Goes posture is what is driving the conservative movement in Congress at the moment. —Philip Elliott, Time, 7 Apr. 2025

The show itself has a kind of bifurcated existence, becoming Apple TV+’s most popular series ever while inspiring fans in the non-TV world to spin fanciful theories — some of which have been borne out — and otherwise wallow in its imagery and mysteries. —Amir Hamja, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2025

Traumatic events can induce dissociative identity disorder, but at what point did Amber’s bifurcated personality turn her into a monster? —Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 13 Mar. 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