handedness

noun

hand·​ed·​ness ˈhan-dəd-nəs 

1

: a tendency to use one hand rather than the other

2

a

: the property of an object (such as a molecule) of not being identical with its mirror image : chirality

b

: either of the two configurations of an object that may exist in forms which are nonidentical mirror images

Examples of handedness in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Tigers countered Barraclough's handedness by bringing Riley Greene, a left-handed hitter, off the bench to pinch-hit for Eric Haase. —Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press, 12 Aug. 2023

The Giants unflinchingly play the matchups, fielding almost completely different lineups depending on the opposing starter’s handedness. —Jorge Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2023

The particular spin of an electron, for example, is sometimes called handedness. —Darren Orf, Popular Mechanics, 13 July 2023

While these calculations didn’t discern the universe’s handedness, previous studies have theorized that the universe has a left-handed bias (that’s good new for Ned Flanders). —Darren Orf, Popular Mechanics, 13 July 2023

Today, law enforcement is under fire for heavy handedness, racial discrimination or simply not showing up. —Diane Bell, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 June 2023

This has angered many of China’s neighbors who feel their larger neighbor’s heavy handedness has frozen them out of their own backyards. —Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 9 June 2023

Though there are some differences in brain scans between lefties and righties in terms of how their brains work, says Silvia Paracchini, a neurogeneticist who studies the origins of handedness at the Institute of Neural and Behavioral Sciences at the University of St. Andrews. —Kate Golembiewski, Discover Magazine, 11 Jan. 2022

Despite his handedness, Lovullo sees Fletcher as the type of player who can deal with left-handed pitching better than most. —The Arizona Republic, 13 May 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1915, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Medical Definition

handedness

noun

hand·​ed·​ness -nəs 

1

: a tendency to use one hand rather than the other

2

: the property of an object (as a molecule) of not being identical with its mirror image

3

: the property of having either a clockwise or counterclockwise motion (as the corkscrew movement of some microorganisms or their flagella or cilia)