dichotomy

[ dahy-kot-uh-mee ]

noun

, plural di·chot·o·mies.

1. division into two parts, kinds, etc.; subdivision into halves or pairs.
2. division into two mutually exclusive, opposed, or contradictory groups:

   a dichotomy between thought and action.

3. Botany. a mode of branching by constant forking, as in some stems, in veins of leaves, etc.
4. Astronomy. the phase of the moon or of an inferior planet when half of its disk is visible.

dichotomy

/ ˌdaɪkəʊˈtɒmɪk; daɪˈkɒtəmɪ /

noun

1. division into two parts or classifications, esp when they are sharply distinguished or opposed

   the dichotomy between eastern and western cultures

2. logic the division of a class into two mutually exclusive subclasses

   the dichotomy of married and single people

3. botany a simple method of branching by repeated division into two equal parts
4. the phase of the moon, Venus, or Mercury when half of the disc is visible

Usage

Dichotomy should always refer to a division of some kind into two groups. It is sometimes used to refer to a puzzling situation which seems to involve a contradiction, but this use is generally thought to be incorrect

Derived Forms

• diˈchotomous, adjective
• diˈchotomously, adverb

Other Words From

• di·cho·tom·ic [dahy-k, uh, -, tom, -ik], adjective
• di·cho·tom·i·cal·ly adverb
• sub·di·chot·o·my noun plural subdichotomies

Word History and Origins

Origin of dichotomy¹

First recorded in 1580–90; from Late Latin dichotomia, from Greek dichotomía “dividing in two (of the quarters of the moon), point of a bisection, division into two parts”; dicho-, -tomy

Word History and Origins

Origin of dichotomy¹

C17: from Greek dichotomia; see dicho- , -tomy

Example Sentences

This is a dichotomy hatched by Ailes, who realized that he could get away with lunacy at night if he balanced it with something approaching sanity during the day.

From Washington Post

This dichotomy between nucleated and nonnucleated life became fundamental to biology.

From Quanta Magazine

Even Powell’s attacks on Republican leaders hew to that dichotomy.

From Washington Post

Despite that dichotomy, every major decision must be agreed upon by both of us.

From Fortune

Work by University of Oxford anthropologist Harvey Whitehouse suggests that rituals exist on either side of a dichotomy.

From Science News

Both heroines are women, but they offer a pretty bizarre dichotomy for girls: Ice queen or ditzy princess.

From The Daily Beast

To be sure, there is often a stark dichotomy between so-called opinion leaders and rank and file believers.

From The Daily Beast

This is the baffling, awkward dichotomy that is MTV in 2014.

From The Daily Beast

No, the whole point of a superhero with a secret identity is the dichotomy.

From The Daily Beast

It was this dichotomy that made Don a fascinating, layered character.

From The Daily Beast

This phenomenon may be explained by what Semon calls alternating ecphoria in mnemic dichotomy.

From Project Gutenberg

Similarly, the engram of the ecphoriated dichotomy is most often that which has been previously most often repeated.

From Project Gutenberg

The nature of the universe is proved too subtle for this dichotomy.

From Project Gutenberg

Therefore, discovery of an early dichotomy from the common ancestral stock of the tribe would come as no surprise.

From Project Gutenberg

There is a term in logic—dichotomy—a sharp division, a cutting in two, an opposing of contradictories.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• difference of opinion