Meaning & use
asynchronous
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Meanings
adjectivenot comparable
Not taking place at the same moment, so that people or processes do not have to act in step with one another.
Grammar: Usually comes before a noun: asynchronous learning, not a more asynchronous learning.
Patterns
- asynchronous communication
- asynchronous with something
The course is fully asynchronous, so you can watch the lectures whenever it suits you.
Email is asynchronous: I send a message now and you answer tomorrow.
Our team prefers asynchronous updates because members work in four time zones.
adjectivenot comparablecomputing
In computing, describing a task that runs in the background so the program can carry on with other work without waiting for it to finish.
Grammar: Used before a noun in programming: an asynchronous call.
Patterns
- asynchronous request
- asynchronous function
The app sends an asynchronous request, so the page stays responsive while the data loads.
Writing asynchronous code can be harder to debug than writing a simple step-by-step script.
Common combinations
- asynchronous learning
- Asynchronous learning lets students with jobs study late at night.
- asynchronous communication
- Chat apps blur the line between synchronous and asynchronous communication.
- asynchronous call
- The server returns an answer to each asynchronous call as soon as it is ready.
- asynchronous meeting
- Instead of a video call, we held an asynchronous meeting in a shared document.
- asynchronous processing
- Asynchronous processing keeps the checkout page from freezing.
Synonyms and how they differ
- non-simultaneous
- This is a plain, rarely used description, whereas asynchronous is the standard term in technology and education.
- delayed
- Delayed suggests something is late against a plan, while asynchronous simply means the parties are not working at the same moment, by design.
- offline
- Offline means not connected to a network, whereas an asynchronous exchange can still happen entirely online.
Opposites
Word family
- asynchronously adverb
- in a way that does not happen at the same time
- asynchrony noun
- the state of not being in step
- synchronous adjective
- happening at the same time
- synchronize verb
- to make things happen together or match
Commonly confused: asynchronous or asymmetrical?
asynchronous vs asymmetrical
Asymmetrical describes shapes that are uneven in form, not events that happen at different times.
Practice
Our online class is ______, so students can watch the recordings at any hour.
Choose one answer.
Asynchronous means participants need not be present at the same time. Synchronous is the opposite and would require a live session.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “asynchronous”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.