asymmetry

[ ey-sim-i-tree ]

/ eɪˈsɪm ɪ tri /

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See synonyms for asymmetry on Thesaurus.com

noun

the quality or state of being asymmetric.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of asymmetry

First recorded in 1645–55, asymmetry is from the Greek word asymmetría lack of proportion. See a-⁶, symmetry

Words nearby asymmetry

asymmetrical warfare, asymmetric bars, asymmetric slow-wave sleep, asymmetric time, asymmetric warfare, asymmetry, asymptomatic, asymptote, asymptotic, asymptotically, asymptotic freedom

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use asymmetry in a sentence

I continued to think about the growing asymmetry of access to capital, talent and knowledge in the startup ecosystem and the lack of infrastructure addressing it.
How Pariti is connecting founders with capital, resources and talent in emerging markets|Tage Kene-Okafor|March 5, 2021|TechCrunch
Theorists soon came out with a number of possible ways to explain the proton’s asymmetry.
Decades-Long Quest Reveals Details of the Proton’s Inner Antimatter|Natalie Wolchover|February 24, 2021|Quanta Magazine
If only we could fix those asymmetries, we tell ourselves, or fill that gap and find that missing ingredient—whether it’s a title, a certain weight, the cure for some anxiety or acceptance in a group we covet—we’ll finally feel whole.
Amanda Gorman and the Art of Being Unfinished and Imperfect|Susanna Schrobsdorff|January 24, 2021|Time
These operations undermine human autonomy and create huge societal asymmetries of knowledge and power—a whole new dimension of inequality.
'We Need a Fundamental Reset.' Shoshana Zuboff on Building an Internet That Lets Democracy Flourish|Billy Perrigo|January 22, 2021|Time

Thus, its brain asymmetry was not caused by hormones, but by genes directly.
Brain Scientists Haven’t Been Able To Find Major Differences Between Women’s And Men’s Brains, Despite Over A Century Of Searching|LGBTQ-Editor|August 13, 2020|No Straight News
“Always darker and to correct what they believe is asymmetry,” she says.
Nipple Tattoos Increase in Popularity in U.K.|Tom Sykes|April 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
That asymmetry explains a great deal of the difference between the parties.
Why the Fringe Sets the Agenda|David Frum|May 25, 2012|DAILY BEAST
He embraces asymmetry, is besotted by rhinestones, and swoons over the promise of romance hidden in dark shadows.
Paris Fall 2012 Fashion Week: Haider Ackermann, Lanvin, and Comme des Garçons|Robin Givhan|March 4, 2012|DAILY BEAST
But he also sees sexual asymmetry as an impoverished view of sex.
The Orgasm Gap|Hannah Seligson|February 9, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Another feature of interest which first becomes apparent during this stage is the asymmetry of the germinal disc.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1|Francis Maitland Balfour
The size and shape of the head, its malformations and asymmetry, may be measured with a fair amount of success.
The Criminal & the Community|James Devon
The southern slopes are snow-clad, the northern are snow-free—in harmony with the line of asymmetry.
The Andes of Southern Peru|Isaiah Bowman
There was slight asymmetry of the face, due to flattening on the right side; there was no perceptible lack of cranial symmetry.
The Criminal|Havelock Ellis
Another time, after listening to a reprimand from the headmaster, he twitted that learned man with the asymmetry of his neckcloth.
The Works of Max Beerbohm|Max Beerbohm

British Dictionary definitions for asymmetry

asymmetry

/ (æˈsɪmɪtrɪ, eɪ-) /

noun

lack or absence of symmetry in spatial arrangements or in mathematical or logical relations

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

asymmetry

Origin of asymmetry

Words nearby asymmetry

Words related to asymmetry

How to use asymmetry in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for asymmetry