anisotropic
Americanadjective
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Physics. of unequal physical properties along different axes.
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Botany. of different dimensions along different axes.
adjective
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not isotropic; having different physical properties in different directions
anisotropic crystals
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(of a plant) responding unequally to an external stimulus in different parts of the plant
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Differing according to orientation, as light scattered by a liquid crystal; light striking the liquid crystal's surface at a 90° angle might not be reflected (so the surface appears dark when viewed head-on), while light striking it at shallower angles is reflected (so the surface appears illuminated when viewed from a shallow angle).
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Wolf emphasized that areas lacking a detectable anisotropic signal should not be assumed to be free of deformation.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 23, 2026
"This is particularly attractive when we wish to quantify anisotropic crystal growth, such as that in aqueous solutions and slurries, in which crystals extend in the different crystal directions at different velocities," says García-Moreno.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 25, 2024
To complicate things further, seismic-wave speeds in the upper oceanic mantle are anisotropic — they depend on the direction of propagation.
From Nature ● Nov. 13, 2018
This anisotropic constriction can lead to the formation of different contacts between neighbouring cells at the apical end of the cell from contacts at the basal end.
From Nature ● Sep. 9, 2018
In this connection may be mentioned cholesteryl acetate and benzoate and other substances which possess two crystalline phases, one of which is liquid, unlike other liquids, however, in being anisotropic.
From Popular Science Monthly Oct, Nov, Dec, 1915 — Volume 86 by Anonymous
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
