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

Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead Furious Stasis Verdi’s sprawling opera La Forza del Destino draws its power from asymmetry, arbitrary juxtapositions, and extreme situations. —The New York Review of Books, 29 Mar. 2024

The modern talent market was built on a series of asymmetries, which are further compounded by an imbalance of power. —James Hudson, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024

There are asymmetries between the future and the past. —Quanta Magazine, 29 Feb. 2024

But Hamas has been able to reduce this battlefield asymmetry through its concealment within the civilian population and its underground tunnel network. —Foreign Affairs, 9 Nov. 2023

The identification of rare mutations in this gene that are more common in left-handers suggests that microtubules are involved in setting up the brain's normal asymmetries, Francks said. —Fox News, 2 Apr. 2024

This process can occur at different rates for each breast, leading to temporary asymmetry. —Carlos Wolf, Miami Herald, 2 Mar. 2024

All of these changes are compounded by each person’s asymmetries and unique movement patterns, the effects of which add up over time. —Cindy Kuzma, SELF, 14 Feb. 2024

In social psychology, that’s an attributional bias called the actor–observer asymmetry. —Mary C. Murphy, Fortune Well, 15 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1651, in the meaning defined above

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