Meanings
plural asymmetries
- 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 753 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 114If 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, →ISBNTransnational 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 - countableuncountableThe lack of a common measure between two objects or quantities; incommensurability.
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Ancient Greekἀσυμμετρία
- Englishasymmetry
From Ancient Greek ἀσυμμετρία (asummetría), from ἀσύμμετρος (asúmmetros) + -ία (-ía), from ἀ- (a-) + σύμμετρος (súmmetros); equivalent to a- + symmetry.
More words from Ancient Greek
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
asymmetry. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/asymmetry
“asymmetry.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/asymmetry. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “asymmetry,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/asymmetry.
Source: asymmetry on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.