symmetry

noun

sym·​me·​try ˈsi-mə-trē How to pronounce symmetry (audio)
plural symmetries
1
: balanced proportions
also : beauty of form arising from balanced proportions
2
: the property of being symmetrical
especially : correspondence in size, shape, and relative position of parts on opposite sides of a dividing line or median plane or about a center or axis compare bilateral symmetry, radial symmetry
3
: a rigid motion of a geometric figure that determines a one-to-one mapping onto itself
4
: the property of remaining invariant under certain changes (as of orientation in space, of the sign of the electric charge, of parity, or of the direction of time flow)
used of physical phenomena and of equations describing them

Examples of symmetry in a Sentence

the symmetry of the human body The building has perfect symmetry.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
And, bringing a certain symmetry to her career, that’s the same message Super wants Victoria’s Secret to send to consumers. Evan Clark, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2025 This breaks the mirror symmetry, and the weak force is the only force to do it. Paul Sutter, Space.com, 14 Oct. 2025 PageRank is more complicated than eigenvector centrality in part because links on the Internet are one-directional, whereas friendships in a social network are bidirectional, a symmetry that simplifies the math. Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 11 Oct. 2025 The new levitating rotor works because of its rotational symmetry. Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for symmetry

Word History

Etymology

Latin symmetria, from Greek, from symmetros symmetrical, from syn- + metron measure — more at measure

First Known Use

1563, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of symmetry was in 1563

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Symmetry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/symmetry. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

symmetry

noun
sym·​me·​try ˈsim-ə-trē How to pronounce symmetry (audio)
plural symmetries
1
: balanced proportions
2
: close agreement in size, shape, and relative position of parts on opposite sides of a dividing line or plane or around a central point compare bilateral symmetry, radial symmetry

Medical Definition

symmetry

noun
sym·​me·​try ˈsim-ə-trē How to pronounce symmetry (audio)
plural symmetries
1
: correspondence in size, shape, and relative position of parts on opposite sides of a dividing line or median plane or about a center or axis see bilateral symmetry, radial symmetry
2
: the property of remaining invariant under certain changes (as of orientation in space, of the sign of the electric charge, of parity, or of the direction of time flow)
used of physical phenomena and of equations describing them

More from Merriam-Webster on symmetry

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