two-dimensional
adjective
two-di·men·sion·al
ˈtü-də-ˈmen(t)-sh(ə-)nəl 
also -dī-
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
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
John Briggs and F. David Peat2
: 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
Publishers Weekly3
: lacking depth of characterization
two-dimensional characters
two-dimensionally
adverb
This guide … covers thoroughly and in-depth the process of representing the human form two-dimensionally on paper.
—Heather Halliday
Heather Halliday
Examples of two-dimensional in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But that would require some kind of emotional investment in characters that seldom get as far as two-dimensional.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2025
Favre, who works regularly with publications such as The New Yorker and Vogue, uses two-dimensional blocks of color, and plays with positive and negative spaces in her art.
—Jennifer Weil, WWD, 5 Mar. 2025
After their creation and subsequent release to the public, the potential of their information storage capabilities became clear as businesses devised creative ways of using these two-dimensional barcodes.
—Benjamin Claeys, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
That much was obvious from their graduate collection, which included outsized coats sliced from what looked like rolls of gift wrap, trick-of-the-eye knits cut from a faux suede found in the manufacturing of car seats, and two-dimensional scarves caught in a permanent gust of wind.
—Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for two-dimensional
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David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2025
Favre, who works regularly with publications such as The New Yorker and Vogue, uses two-dimensional blocks of color, and plays with positive and negative spaces in her art.
—Jennifer Weil, WWD, 5 Mar. 2025
After their creation and subsequent release to the public, the potential of their information storage capabilities became clear as businesses devised creative ways of using these two-dimensional barcodes.
—Benjamin Claeys, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
That much was obvious from their graduate collection, which included outsized coats sliced from what looked like rolls of gift wrap, trick-of-the-eye knits cut from a faux suede found in the manufacturing of car seats, and two-dimensional scarves caught in a permanent gust of wind.
—Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for two-dimensional
Cite this Entry
“Two-dimensional.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/two-dimensional. Accessed 10 Mar. 2025.
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