Dormant means the foliage totally dies back in the winter. Evergreens keep their leaves. Semievergreens keep their foliage longer into the winter than dormants, but eventually die back to resting buds.

Debra

Typically, dormants do better in climates with colder winters, and evergreens do better in climates with warmer winters. But it's not always a perfect indicator.

If you are looking for things that will do well for you, your best indicator is to buy plants grown and sold by people in your same climate zone, regardless of foliage habit.

Nate