Standard Lemma guide

asymmetry

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /eɪˈsɪmɪtɹi/
  • Colorado Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian: /æɪˈsɪmɪtɹi/
  • CMU ARPABET: EY2 S IH1 M AH0 T R IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

An absence of symmetry or proportion between the parts of a thing, or a distinction that produces such a lack of symmetry.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The lack of a common measure between two objects or quantities; incommensurability.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

(mathematics) a lack of symmetry

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: dissymmetry, imbalance

Antonyms: symmetry

Broader terms: spatial property, spatiality

Narrower terms: irregularity, geometrical irregularity, lopsidedness, skewness, radial asymmetry, handedness, laterality, footedness, eyedness

History

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ἀσυμμετρία (asummetría), from ἀσύμμετρος (asúmmetros) + -ία (-ía), from ἀ- (a-) + σύμμετρος (súmmetros); equivalent to a- + symmetry.

Across languages

Translations

35 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: عَدَم تَنَاسُق (ʕadam tanāsuq) — lack of symmetry or proportion
  • Asturian: asimetría — lack of symmetry or proportion
  • Belarusian: асіме́трыя (asimjétryja) — lack of symmetry or proportion
  • Catalan: asimetria — lack of symmetry or proportion
  • Chinese Mandarin: 不對稱 /不对称 (bùduìchèn) — lack of symmetry or proportion
  • Czech: asymetrie — lack of symmetry or proportion
  • Dutch: asymmetrie — lack of symmetry or proportion
  • Finnish: epäsymmetria — lack of symmetry or proportion
  • Finnish: asymmetria — lack of symmetry or proportion
  • French: asymétrie — lack of symmetry or proportion
  • Galician: asimetría — lack of symmetry or proportion
  • Galician: disimetría — lack of symmetry or proportion
  • Georgian: ასიმეტრია (asimeṭria) — lack of symmetry or proportion
  • German: Asymmetrie — lack of symmetry or proportion
  • Greek: ασυμμετρία (asymmetría) — lack of symmetry or proportion
  • Irish: neamhshiméadracht — lack of symmetry or proportion
  • Irish: aisiméadracht — lack of symmetry or proportion
  • Italian: asimmetria — lack of symmetry or proportion
  • Italian: dissimmetria — lack of symmetry or proportion
  • Japanese: 非対称性 (hitaishōsei) — lack of symmetry or proportion
  • Japanese: 非対称 (hitaishō) — lack of symmetry or proportion
  • Japanese: アシンメトリー (ashinmetorī) — lack of symmetry or proportion
  • Korean: 비대칭 (bidaeching) — lack of symmetry or proportion
  • Norwegian Bokmål: asymmetri — lack of symmetry or proportion
  • Polish: asymetria — lack of symmetry or proportion
  • Portuguese: assimetria — lack of symmetry or proportion
  • Romanian: asimetrie — lack of symmetry or proportion
  • Russian: асимметри́я (asimmetríja) — lack of symmetry or proportion
  • Serbo-Croatian: асимѐтрија — lack of symmetry or proportion
  • Serbo-Croatian: asimètrija — lack of symmetry or proportion
  • Slovene: àsimetríja — lack of symmetry or proportion
  • Spanish: asimetría — lack of symmetry or proportion
  • Swedish: asymmetri — lack of symmetry or proportion
  • Tagalog: awamparianyo — lack of symmetry or proportion
  • Turkish: asimetri — lack of symmetry or proportion