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asymmetric

or a·sym·met·ri·cal

[ey-suh-me-trik or ey-suh-me-tri-kuh l; as-uh-]
See more synonyms for asymmetric on Thesaurus.com
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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Origin of asymmetric

First recorded in 1870–75; a-6 + symmetric
Related formsa·sym·met·ri·cal·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for asymmetric

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • What in the name of all the Csars does an asymmetric atom of carbon mean?

    Katharine Frensham

    Beatrice Harraden

  • This is usually attributed to the presence of an irregular astigmatism situated near the asymmetric meridian.

  • I was trying to fit the shovel in and I remember saying that is too asymmetric.

    Warren Commission (9 of 26): Hearings Vol. IX (of 15)

    The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy

  • Similarly, for a ketohexose, which contains three asymmetric carbon atoms, there are eight possible arrangements.

    The Chemistry of Plant Life

    Roscoe Wilfred Thatcher

  • Hence, all the possible compounds indicated by the presence of the asymmetric carbon have been found and identified.

    The Chemistry of Plant Life

    Roscoe Wilfred Thatcher

British Dictionary definitions for asymmetric

asymmetric

asymmetrical

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 moleculesasymmetric 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 (def. 1), antisymmetric, nonsymmetric
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Derived Formsasymmetrically, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012