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Glite Dictionary
⬜ Flat, no depth 📄 Lacking depth
two-dimensional

two-dimensional

5 5.5
Has no depth or interesting detail
  • adjective
  • /ˌtuː dɪˈmɛnʃənəl/
  • Informal
: superficial
  • Yet cities are not simply two-dimensional surfaces upon which class, gender, and racial relationships operate.
  • two-dimensional character
  • flat and two-dimensional
  • two-dimensional construct

And, and when we think of Doctor King as a great orator saying I have a dream and we leave him two-dimensional, then I think we miss a master strategist.

Examples

  • The social responsibility of hospitals is two-dimensional and can be thought of in terms of service and outreach versus profitability.

    Academic text (1997)

  • His face was so flat it was almost two-dimensional.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • I mean, I'm not just this two-dimensional guy they recognize.

    The Weather Man (2005)

  • Instead, we are fed the same old menu of two-dimensional candidates election after election.

    Blog text (32)

  • Unlike earlier depictions of comic book heroes, Vigilante was anything but two-dimensional.

    Academic text (2014)

  • More than anything else, the NMAI must demonstrate to non-Native and Native audiences that we are not two-dimensional.

    Academic text (2006)

  • Despite their volume of detail, these texts still present a Tomochichi who is a two-dimensional, complacent, docile Indian.

    Academic text (2008)

  • Seattle's humanity and spirituality are lacunae in the two-dimensional character perpetuated by text products.

    Academic text (1998)

  • Many characters in the movie felt two-dimensional, lacking the depth needed to engage the audience.

  • The villain in the story is portrayed as a two-dimensional character, making it hard to relate to his motivations.

Synonyms

flat
vstwo-dimensional
248 4.4

Not lively and often weak in taste or sound

means lacking depth or complexity rather than simple dullness
one-dimensional
vstwo-dimensional
  • Offensive
16 4.8

Simple and not deep or complex

is a broader term for lacking substance or detail
depthless
vstwo-dimensional
1 7.3

Not having much feeling or real meaning

is used more generally for lacking substance or detail
unidimensional
vstwo-dimensional
1 8.4

Having only one simple part and no depth

is about lacking depth or complexity across contexts

Antonyms

complex
668 5.6

Not simple because it has many connected parts

substantial
22 5.0

About the main, basic part of something

How Complex

deep
126 7.6
complex
668 5.6
two-dimensional
  • Informal
5 5.5
superficial
87 5.6

Surface Forms

two-dimensional positive

Morphology

two-dimensional = two + dimensional (semi-transparent) = two + dimension + al

The literal compound is clear, even though the figurative sense develops by metaphorical extension.

Etymology

Two-dimensional is also used in a figurative way; think of a flat picture, because dimension means 'measure', as in the word measure, so something with only two dimensions feels flat and 'lacking depth', which is why we call a person or idea 'two-dimensional' when it has little complexity.