asymmetric

American  

[ey-suh-me-trik, as-uh-] / ˌeɪ səˈmɛ trɪk, ˌæs ə- /

Also asymmetrical

adjective

1. not identical on both sides of a central line; unsymmetrical; lacking symmetry.

   Most faces are asymmetric.

2. (of a logical or mathematical relation) holding true of members of a class in one order but not in the opposite order, as in the relation “being an ancestor of.”

3. Chemistry.

   1. having an unsymmetrical arrangement of atoms in a molecule.

   2. noting a carbon atom bonded to four different atoms or groups.

   3. (of a polymer) noting an atom or group that is within a polymer chain and is bonded to two different atoms or groups that are external to the chain.

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asymmetric British  

/ ˌeɪ-, ˌæsɪˈmɛtrɪk /

adjective

1. not symmetrical; lacking symmetry; misproportioned

2. chem

   1. (of a molecule) having its atoms and radicals arranged unsymmetrically

   2. (of a carbon atom) attached to four different atoms or radicals so that stereoisomerism results

   3. involving chiral molecules

      asymmetric synthesis

3. electrical engineering (of conductors) having different conductivities depending on the direction of current flow, as of diodes

4. aeronautics having unequal thrust, as caused by an inoperative engine in a twin-engined aircraft

5. logic maths (of a relation) never holding between a pair of values x and y when it holds between y and x, as " …is the father of… " Compare symmetric antisymmetric nonsymmetric

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Other Word Forms

• asymmetrically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of asymmetric

First recorded in 1870–75; a- ⁶ + symmetric ( def. )

Explanation

You describe something as asymmetric when it lacks the mirror-image quality of symmetry. That dress your sister sewed for you may appear stylishly asymmetric, but really the reason the sleeves are different lengths is because she doesn’t know how to use a tape measure. The a- prefix comes from Latin and makes a word into its opposite, so asymmetric is the opposite of symmetric. Asymmetric often describes an intentional part of a design, like a shirt with an asymmetric neckline. But it can also describe something that is the result of a mistake, injustice, or deformity, like asymmetric growth in a body, which may be a sign of disease.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

asymmetric

"In this model, blobs of matter are chaotically being ejected from the surface of the bloated stars in an asymmetric fashion," Fuller says.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026

There was also a tactical masterstroke in the Club World Cup final, when an asymmetric overlapping full-back was introduced in Malo Gusto on the right.

From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026

“With a differentiated architecture, a step-change in contracted revenue from OpenAI and AWS, and a market only now learning to pay for speed, we see an asymmetric, upside-skewed setup,” wrote Wedbush’s Bryson.

From Barron's ● Jun. 8, 2026

“More broadly, competing against futures is not new for Cboe, and options have steadily been taking share from futures over time as investors gravitate towards the asymmetric upside potential and defined downside.”

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 5, 2026

“If there were any way to get asymmetric forces out of that, where you get force in one direction and not the other, you’d get a propulsive force.’

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife