asymmetry

noun

asym·​me·​try (ˌ)ā-ˈsi-mə-trē 

plural asymmetries

: lack or absence of symmetry

As Mercury orbits the Sun, it experiences a small torque due to its slight asymmetry in the plane of its orbit …

—Johanna Miller

French rococo was a part of this mood, which tended to favor pastel colors, asymmetry, a calculated disorder, a dreamy sensuality.

—Jonathan D. Spence

"Handedness"—whether we are left- or right-handed—is a convenient indicator of the development of the brain asymmetries that are thought to be required for language.

—Tim Flannery

Examples of asymmetry in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The big puzzles of today, including dark matter, dark energy, and the origin of the matter-antimatter asymmetry, could hardly have been fathomed at the time. —Big Think, 28 Oct. 2025

The design made use of asymmetry with both the silhouette and pattern, showcasing a strap on one side of the top, an uneven hemline on the flowy skirt and a diagonal print in contrasting colors. —Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 27 Oct. 2025

Intelligence is not the asymmetry. —Diane Brady, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2025

Chris Kraus’s legendary 1997 autofiction chronicles her love letters to a man she was obsessed with—a game of desire whose voltage came from real asymmetries of class, capital, and access. —Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1651, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for asymmetry

• altimetry
• dosimetry
• calorimetry
• colorimetry
• supersymmetry
• symmetry

Medical Definition

asymmetry

noun

asym·​me·​try (ˈ)ā-ˈsim-ə-trē 

plural asymmetries

1

: lack or absence of symmetry: as

a

: lack of proportion between the parts of a thing

especially : want of bilateral symmetry

asymmetry in the development of the two sides of the brain

b

: lack of coordination of two parts acting in connection with one another

asymmetry of convergence of the eyes

2

: lack of symmetry in spatial arrangement of atoms and groups in a molecule