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

two-dimensional

3 5.5
Has no depth or interesting detail
  • adjective
  • /ˌtuː dɪˈmɛnʃənəl/
  • Informal
translation icon : 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
297 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
13 4.8

Simple and not deep or complex

is a broader term 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
depthless
vstwo-dimensional
1 7.3

Not having much feeling or real meaning

is used more generally for lacking substance or detail

Antonyms

complex
648 5.6

Not simple because it has many connected parts

substantial
7 5.0

About the main, basic part of something

How Complex

deep
583 7.6
complex
648 5.6
two-dimensional
  • Informal
3 5.5
superficial
94 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.