View synonyms for

symmetry

[sim-i-tree]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

plural

symmetries

the correspondence in size, form, and arrangement of parts on opposite sides of a plane, line, or point; regularity of form or arrangement in terms of like, reciprocal, or corresponding parts.
Synonyms: , ,
Antonyms:
the proper or due proportion of the parts of a body or whole to one another with regard to size and form; excellence of proportion.
beauty based on or characterized by such excellence of proportion.
Mathematics.��
1. a geometrical or other regularity that is possessed by a mathematical object and is characterized by the operations that leave the object invariant.
  A circle has rotational symmetry and reflection symmetry.
2. a rotation or translation of a plane figure that leaves the figure unchanged although its position may be altered.
Physics.��a property of a physical system that is unaffected by certain mathematical transformations as, for example, the work done by gravity on an object, which is not affected by any change in the position from which the potential energy of the object is measured.

symmetry

/ ˈ��ɪ��ɪ�ٰ�ɪ /

noun

similarity, correspondence, or balance among systems or parts of a system
maths an exact correspondence in position or form about a given point, line, or plane See symmetrical
beauty or harmony of form based on a proportionate arrangement of parts
physics the independence of a property with respect to direction; isotropy

symmetry

An exact matching of form and arrangement of parts on opposite sides of a boundary, such as a plane or line, or around a central point or axis.
See invariance

symmetry

In geometry, the equivalence, point for point, of a figure on opposite sides of a point, line, or plane.

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Other Word Forms

antisymmetry adjective
nonsymmetry noun

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Word History and Origins

Origin of symmetry¹

1535–45; from Latin symmetria from Greek ��⳾��ٰ�í�� “commensurateness.” See sym-, -metry

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Word History and Origins

Origin of symmetry¹

C16: from Latin symmetria, from Greek summetria proportion, from _syn- + metron measure

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Synonym Study

Symmetry, balance, proportion, harmony are terms used, particularly in the arts, to denote qualities based upon a correspondence or agreement, usually pleasing, among the parts of a whole. Symmetry implies either a quantitative equality of parts ( the perfect symmetry of pairs of matched columns ) or a unified system of subordinate parts: the symmetry of a well-ordered musical composition. Balance implies equality of parts, often as a means of emphasis: Balance in sentences may emphasize the contrast in ideas. Proportion depends less upon equality of parts than upon that agreement among them that is determined by their relation to a whole: The dimensions of the room gave a feeling of right proportion. Harmony, a technical term in music, may also suggest the pleasing quality that arises from a just ordering of parts in other forms of artistic composition: harmony of line, color, mass, phrase, ideas.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The symmetry would probably appeal to the whimsical US director Wes Anderson – who often features bizarre heists in his films.

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And there was a particular reason that went beyond the symmetry of the Prime Minister returning to the same production line he visited a month ago, Jaguar Land Rover's in Solihull in the West Midlands.

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Francis watched his cousin with growing horror: “He reminds me of my brother and then slowly turns into him ... he is the Other, and his face takes on a menacing symmetry.”

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There’s a symmetry, a kind of eternal beauty to their mythos that is irresistible.

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Cole-Hamilton described him as an "effective communicator" and said Greene had "such symmetry with our outlook and our values as a party".

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Related Words

equilibrium��
harmony��
rhythm��
similarity��

symmetrize symmetry element

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