aspect ratio

American  

[as-pekt rey-shoh, rey--shee-oh] / ˈæs pɛkt ˌreɪ ʃoʊ, ˌreɪ ˌʃi oʊ /

noun

1. Aeronautics. the ratio of the span of an airfoil to its mean chord.

2. Digital Technology, Television. the ratio of the width of an image to its height, usually a standard ratio such as 16 to 9 or 4 to 3.

3. Naval Architecture. the ratio of the height of a rudder to its fore-and-aft length.

4. Rocketry.

   1. Also called fineness ratio.  Also called slenderness ratio.  the ratio of the mean diameter of the body of a rocket or missile to its length.

   2. the ratio of the length of the combustion chamber of a rocket motor to its diameter.

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aspect ratio British  

noun

1. the ratio of width to height of the picture on a television or cinema screen

2. aeronautics the ratio of the span of a wing to its mean chord

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Etymology

Origin of aspect ratio

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

Despite this large size, the layer maintained a thickness of just 40 nanometers, giving it an extreme aspect ratio.

From Science Daily • Apr. 5, 2026

You have Veloso’s immersive, painterly work in a 3:2 aspect ratio that gives you the feeling that you’re gazing through a window into the past.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2026

People think, “Oh it’s just bigger or there’s more sound,” but the aspect ratio actually changes from scene to scene and it really impacts your viewing experience.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 25, 2025

The UHD presentation, in a so welcomed screen-filling aspect ratio, brings to light a world saturated with color and lifelike textures as seen often by the element-controlled characters.

From Washington Times • Sep. 27, 2023

This was intended to give increased strength and permitted of a greater wing-spread and consequently improved aspect ratio.

From A History of Aeronautics by Vivian, Evelyn Charles