What does asymmetry mean?
Asymmetry is the absence of symmetry — the condition in which two halves or parts of something fail to match in size, shape, position, or value. The word applies equally to physical objects, as when a face or a building has unevenly placed features, and to abstract systems, as when information, power, or resources are distributed unequally between parties. In mathematics, asymmetry describes the failure of a figure to map onto itself under reflection or rotation. Though once sometimes treated as a flaw, asymmetry is now frequently celebrated: designers, architects, and artists deliberately use it to create dynamism and visual interest, and biologists note that perfect bilateral symmetry is rare in nature. Common collocations include "information asymmetry", "power asymmetry", and "structural asymmetry". Its opposite is symmetry, and its adjective form is "asymmetric" or "asymmetrical". Understanding asymmetry is useful across disciplines from aesthetics and anatomy to economics and physics, making it a genuinely versatile term in precise description.
nounThe lack of equality or equivalence between parts or aspects of something; the quality of being irregular or not corresponding in size, shape, or arrangement on either side of a dividing line or around a centre.
- A lack of equality, correspondence, or balance between two parts or sides (e.g. of the body, a design, an argument).
- In mathematics and science: absence of symmetry under transformation such as reflection or rotation.
- In economics and social science: unequal distribution of information, resources, or power between parties.
"The deliberate asymmetry of the building's façade gave it a striking, modern character."
"There was a noticeable asymmetry between the two wings of the old manor house."
"The trade deal was criticised for the asymmetry of benefits favouring one nation over the other."
The plural typically refers to multiple distinct instances or types of imbalance, especially in academic writing (e.g. several asymmetries in a data set or treaty).
"Researchers documented numerous asymmetries in how the two hemispheres of the brain process language."
Your face is asymmetric — and that's exactly why photographs of you can look 'off': we're so used to our own lopsided reflection that a true mirror image feels subtly wrong.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of asymmetry
Asymmetry derives from the Greek roots "a-" meaning "not" and "symmetria" meaning "measured together" or "proportion", itself composed of "syn-" (together) and "metron" (measure). The term entered English via Latin and French scientific vocabulary, becoming established in learned usage around the early 17th century alongside "symmetry". Its cognates include "symmetric", "symmetry", and other words built on the Greek "metron" root, such as "geometry" and "meter".
Related word forms
How asymmetry is actually used
"Asymmetry" is largely neutral to formal in register; in everyday speech "lopsided" or "uneven" often substitutes for the adjectival sense. In economics, "information asymmetry" is an established technical term popularised by George Akerlof's work on markets.
Easily confused with asymmetry
An asymptote is a line that a curve approaches but never touches in mathematics, whereas asymmetry is a lack of balance or correspondence between parts.
An anomaly is a deviation from what is standard or expected, while asymmetry specifically refers to a lack of mirror-image balance between two sides or parts.