Meanings
nounsymmetry (countable and uncountable, plural symmetries)
plural symmetries
- countableuncountableThe satisfying arrangement of a balanced distribution of the elements of a whole.
She was like a Beardsley Salome, he had said. And indeed she had the narrow eyes and the high cheekbone of that creature, and as nearly the sinuosity as is compatible with human symmetry.
1921, Ben Travers, chapter 1, in A Cuckoo in the Nest, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 1925, →OCLC
Synonyms & antonyms
noun(mathematics) an attribute of a shape or relation; exact reflection of form on opposite sides of a dividing line or plane
Opposite
Broader
spatial propertyspatiality
noun(physics) the property of being isotropic; having the same value when measured in different directions
Similar
Broader
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Ancient Greekσυμμετρία
- Latinsymmetria
- Englishsymmetry
From Latin symmetria, from Ancient Greek συμμετρία (summetría), from σύμμετρος (súmmetros, “symmetrical”), from σύν (sún, “with”) + μέτρον (métron, “measure”). By surface analysis, sym- + -metry.
More words from Latin, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek συμμετρία
- συμμετρία (summetría)correspondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis
Arabic تَنَاظُر
- تَنَاظُر (tanāẓur)correspondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis
Bulgarian симе́трия
- симе́трия (simétrija)correspondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis
Catalan simetria
- simetriacorrespondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis
Chinese Mandarin 對稱性 /对称性, 對稱 /对称
- 對稱性 /对称性 (duìchènxìng, duìchèngxìng)correspondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis
- 對稱 /对称 (duìchèn, duìchèng)correspondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis
- 平衡美satisfying arrangement of a balanced distribution of the elements of a whole
- 和諧 /和谐 (héxié)satisfying arrangement of a balanced distribution of the elements of a whole
Czech souměrnost, symetrie
- souměrnostcorrespondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis
- symetriecorrespondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis
Danish symmetri
- symmetricorrespondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis
Dutch symmetrie
- symmetriecorrespondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis
Esperanto simetrio
- simetriocorrespondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis
Estonian sümmeetria
- sümmeetriacorrespondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis
Finnish symmetria, tasapaino
- symmetriacorrespondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis
- tasapainosatisfying arrangement of a balanced distribution of the elements of a whole
French symétrie, symétrie
- symétriecorrespondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis
- symétriesatisfying arrangement of a balanced distribution of the elements of a whole
German Symmetrie
- Symmetriecorrespondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis
Greek συμμετρία
- συμμετρία (symmetría)correspondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis
Hawaiian ʻālikelike
- ʻālikelikecorrespondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis
Hindi सममिति
- सममिति (sammiti)correspondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis
Hungarian szimmetria
- szimmetriacorrespondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis
Indonesian simetris, simetri
- simetriscorrespondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis
- simetrisatisfying arrangement of a balanced distribution of the elements of a whole
Irish siméadracht, siméadracht
- siméadrachtcorrespondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis
- siméadrachtsatisfying arrangement of a balanced distribution of the elements of a whole
Italian simmetria, simmetria
- simmetriacorrespondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis
- simmetriasatisfying arrangement of a balanced distribution of the elements of a whole
Japanese 対称性, 対称
- 対称性 (taishōsei)correspondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis
- 対称 (taishō)correspondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis
- シンメトリー (shinmetorī)correspondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis
Korean 대칭성, 대칭
- 대칭성 (daechingseong)correspondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis
- 대칭 (daeching)correspondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis
Latin symmetria
- symmetriacorrespondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis
Latvian simetrija
- simetrijacorrespondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis
Lithuanian simetrija
- simetrijacorrespondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis
Māori hangarite, hangarite
- hangaritecorrespondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis
- hangaritesatisfying arrangement of a balanced distribution of the elements of a whole
Norwegian Bokmål symmetri
- symmetricorrespondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis
Persian تقارن
- تقارن (taqâron)correspondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis
Polish symetria, symetria
- symetriacorrespondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis
- symetriasatisfying arrangement of a balanced distribution of the elements of a whole
Portuguese simetria, simetria
- simetriacorrespondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis
- simetriasatisfying arrangement of a balanced distribution of the elements of a whole
Romanian simetrie
- simetriecorrespondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis
Russian симме́трия, симме́трия
- симме́трия (simmétrija)correspondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis
- симме́трия (simmétrija)satisfying arrangement of a balanced distribution of the elements of a whole
Slovak súmernosť, symetria
- súmernosťcorrespondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis
- symetriacorrespondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis
Spanish simetría
- simetríacorrespondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis
Swedish symmetri
- symmetricorrespondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis
Tagalog parianyo
- parianyocorrespondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis
Thai ความสมมาตร, ความสมดุล
- ความสมมาตร (kwaam-sŏm-mâat)correspondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis
- ความสมดุล (kwaam-sà-má-dun)satisfying arrangement of a balanced distribution of the elements of a whole
Ukrainian симе́трія
- симе́трія (symétrija)correspondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis
Vietnamese sự đối xứng
- sự đối xứngcorrespondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis
Cite this entry
APA
symmetry. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/symmetry
MLA
“symmetry.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/symmetry. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “symmetry,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/symmetry.
Source: symmetry on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.