as in paradox
someone or something with qualities or features that seem to conflict with one another
her outfit is a sartorial dichotomy: an elegant gown and ratty old tennis shoes
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Recent Examples of dichotomy
Published in the mid two-thousands, the book also shows what happened when immigrant groups were eventually allowed to move into these white-only areas after the towns’ populations had dwindled—and how other ethnicities triangulated themselves from the dichotomy of white and Black.
—
The New Yorker, New Yorker, 28 May 2025
The vivifying dichotomy is even announced in advance.
—Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2025
The funding cut, Turner says, highlights a dichotomy between the Trump Administration’s aim to leave disaster response to communities—without providing them with the tools to respond.
—Simmone Shah, Time, 16 June 2025
Clothing and footwear were used as vehicles to showcase the dichotomies in the story and its characters.
—Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 2 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for dichotomy
The New Yorker, New Yorker, 28 May 2025
The vivifying dichotomy is even announced in advance.
—Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2025
The funding cut, Turner says, highlights a dichotomy between the Trump Administration’s aim to leave disaster response to communities—without providing them with the tools to respond.
—Simmone Shah, Time, 16 June 2025
Clothing and footwear were used as vehicles to showcase the dichotomies in the story and its characters.
—Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 2 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for dichotomy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dichotomy
paradox
Noun
-
The most resilient organizations were led by those leaders who understood and learned from this paradox.—
Ed Brzychcy,
Forbes.com,
8 July 2025
-
Drake became an artistic paradox: visible only through his invisibility.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
5 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dichotomy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dichotomy. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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