Words / C2

dy-KOT-uh-mee/daɪˈkɒtəmi/

A dichotomy is a split into two opposite camps. Writers often name a dichotomy in order to question it: the dichotomy is too neat. Use split or divide in speech; dichotomy is seminar language, and overusing it makes ordinary contrasts sound grander than they are.

Meaning

A division into two opposite parts or groups.

Examples

• “The dichotomy between work and rest is too simple.”
• “She rejected the dichotomy of art versus craft.”
• “The rural–urban dichotomy hides a lot of mixed lives.”

Good to know

A two-way split, often too simple. Everyday: split.

Near in meaning

split

New