bifurcated

adjective

bi·​fur·​cat·​ed ˈbī-(ˌ)fər-ˌkā-təd How to pronounce bifurcated (audio)
bī-ˈfər-
: divided into two branches or parts
This near-earth asteroid appears as a bifurcated structure, consisting of two distinct lobes that seem to be in contact.Richard P. Binzel et al.
The town is a bifurcated community—two distinct communities in one, really.Dennis Farney
… the strange bifurcated world of whiteness and blackness in which I was born and reared.William Styron

Examples of bifurcated in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The bifurcated story puts Kendrick’s character, a struggling actress who on a whim takes a gig on The Dating Game, on a collision course with Alcala, played with a deeply unsettling affect by Daniel Zovatto. Joe Reid, Vulture, 10 Dec. 2024 The rest of the film unfolds in a bifurcated fashion, cutting between the elderly Kristofer’s journey and flashbacks to his youth. Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 10 July 2024 Instead of thinking about China as having a single economy linked to the world through trade and investment, Beijing has pioneered the idea of a bifurcated economy. Mark Leonard, Foreign Affairs, 20 June 2023 CoStar, a real estate analytics company, has also reported that Miami and Fort Lauderdale, in contrast to Palm Beach, illustrate a bifurcated market in South Florida. Sydney Lake, Fortune, 28 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for bifurcated 

Word History

First Known Use

1853, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bifurcated was in 1853

Dictionary Entries Near bifurcated

Cite this Entry

“Bifurcated.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bifurcated. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on bifurcated

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!