asymmetry

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Canada, US, UK/eɪˈsɪmɪtɹi/Australia/æɪˈsɪmɪtɹi/

noun

An absence of symmetry or proportion between the parts of a thing, or a distinction that produces such a lack of symmetry.

Opposite
Less commonScrabble 19

Meanings

nounasymmetry (countable and uncountable, plural asymmetries)

plural asymmetries

  1. countableuncountableAn absence of symmetry or proportion between the parts of a thing, or a distinction that produces such a lack of symmetry.

    In this sense, the concern of political economy with assymetries of information among political actors is well-placed.

    1997, American Bar Foundation, ABF Working Paper - Issue 9304; Issue 9426, page 75
    3 more examples

    Despite the generally symmetrical appearance of the two hemispheres, however, a number of biological asymmetries have been documented during the last hundred years.

    1993, Joseph B. Hellige, Hemispheric Asymmetry: What's Right and What's Left, →ISBN, page 114

    If the planet is on moderate eccentric orbit (0.01), it creates large-scale azimuthal assymetries which evolve at the orbital velocity of the corresponding resonance, for example at half time the planet velocity for the stronger resonance, the 2:1 one.

    1994, Roger Ferlet, Alfred Vidal-Madjar, Circumstellar Dust Disks and Planet Formation, →ISBN

    Transnational feminists argue that feminists need to understand the material conditions that shape women's lives in diverse locations, particularly in a world "structured by transnational economic links and cultural assymetries" (Grewal and Kaplan, 3).

    2014, Amal Amireh, Lisa Suhair Majaj, Going Global: The Transnational Reception of Third World Women Writers, →ISBN
  2. countableuncountableThe lack of a common measure between two objects or quantities; incommensurability.

Synonyms & antonyms

noun(mathematics) a lack of symmetry

Opposite
Broader
spatial propertyspatiality

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekἀσυμμετρία
  2. Englishasymmetry

From Ancient Greek ἀσυμμετρία (asummetría), from ἀσύμμετρος (asúmmetros) + -ία (-ía), from ἀ- (a-) + σύμμετρος (súmmetros); equivalent to a- + symmetry.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic عَدَم تَنَاسُق
  • عَدَم تَنَاسُق (ʕadam tanāsuq)lack of symmetry or proportion
Catalan asimetria
  • asimetrialack of symmetry or proportion
Chinese Mandarin 不對稱 /不对称
  • 不對稱 /不对称 (bùduìchèn)lack of symmetry or proportion
Czech asymetrie
  • asymetrielack of symmetry or proportion
Dutch asymmetrie
  • asymmetrielack of symmetry or proportion
Finnish epäsymmetria, asymmetria
  • epäsymmetrialack of symmetry or proportion
  • asymmetrialack of symmetry or proportion
French asymétrie
  • asymétrielack of symmetry or proportion
German Asymmetrie
  • Asymmetrielack of symmetry or proportion
Greek ασυμμετρία
  • ασυμμετρία (asymmetría)lack of symmetry or proportion
Irish neamhshiméadracht, aisiméadracht
  • neamhshiméadrachtlack of symmetry or proportion
  • aisiméadrachtlack of symmetry or proportion
Italian asimmetria, dissimmetria
  • asimmetrialack of symmetry or proportion
  • dissimmetrialack of symmetry or proportion
Japanese 非対称性, 非対称
  • 非対称性 (hitaishōsei)lack of symmetry or proportion
  • 非対称 (hitaishō)lack of symmetry or proportion
  • アシンメトリー (ashinmetorī)lack of symmetry or proportion
Korean 비대칭
  • 비대칭 (bidaeching)lack of symmetry or proportion
Norwegian Bokmål asymmetri
  • asymmetrilack of symmetry or proportion
Polish asymetria
  • asymetrialack of symmetry or proportion
Portuguese assimetria
  • assimetrialack of symmetry or proportion
Romanian asimetrie
  • asimetrielack of symmetry or proportion
Russian асимметри́я
  • асимметри́я (asimmetríja)lack of symmetry or proportion
Spanish asimetría
  • asimetríalack of symmetry or proportion
Swedish asymmetri
  • asymmetrilack of symmetry or proportion
Tagalog awamparianyo
  • awamparianyolack of symmetry or proportion
Turkish asimetri
  • asimetrilack of symmetry or proportion
Cite this entry
APA

asymmetry. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/asymmetry

MLA

“asymmetry.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/asymmetry. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “asymmetry,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/asymmetry.

Source: asymmetry on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.