synergy

American  

[sin-er-jee] / ˈsɪn ər dʒi /

noun

• synergies
  plural

1. the interaction of elements that when combined produce a total effect that is greater than the sum of the individual elements, contributions, etc.; synergism.

2. Physiology, Medicine/Medical. the cooperative action of two or more muscles, nerves, or the like.

3. Biochemistry, Pharmacology. the cooperative action of two or more stimuli or drugs.

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synergy British  

/ ˈsɪnədʒɪ /

noun

1. Also called: synergism. the potential ability of individual organizations or groups to be more successful or productive as a result of a merger

2. another name for synergism

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Usage

What does synergy mean? Synergy refers to when an interaction of elements produces an effect that is greater than the effect that would have resulted from simply adding up the effects of each individual element. In other words, synergy is what happens when a combination of things produces an effect or result that is said to be “greater than the sum of its parts.”When you combine things—chemicals, ingredients, people—you often expect these things to interact in a certain way based on what has been included. But when something extra happens, something greater, this is synergy. Synergy implies that the magic is in the combination, as opposed to in the individual elements themselves. Synergy can be used in all kinds of contexts. A food critic might say that a particular dish is delicious due to the synergy of its ingredients. In the business world, the word synergy is often seen as a kind of buzzword that’s used as a way of referring to what makes a certain project or venture successful. Synergy is also used in a more specific way in the context of medicine to refer to the cooperation of multiple body parts, such as muscles or nerves. It can also refer to the interaction of drugs or other stimuli. The things that cooperate in this way can be called synergists. The word synergism can be used to mean the same thing as synergy. The adjective synergistic can be used to describe a combination that produces such an effect or things that work together in this way. Example: The cooperation between these departments produced a synergy that led to great success.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• synergic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• synergies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of synergy

First recorded in 1650–60; from New Latin synergia, from Greek synergía, from synerg(ós) “working together” ( see synergism) + -ia -y ³

Explanation

You write the lyrics and your friend composes the music. Separately each of you is pretty good, but together you’ve got a mega-hit song. That’s synergy — working together to create something greater than either of you could do alone. The word synergy comes from the Greek sun, "together" and ergon, "work" (the same root that gives us ergonomic and energy). When one thing magnifies the effect of another, together they have synergy. If your company makes some revolutionary kind of yo-yo, you may decide to acquire a company that distributes toys, as you’d expect there would be a natural synergy: each company will benefit from the other’s strengths, and together they’ll be stronger than either would be by itself.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

synergy synergies

In a report, the analyst says the company is paying a premium for “growth, resource depth and synergy potential.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

You may not like it, but this was like something from the peak era of performative millennial corporate synergy.

From Slate ● Oct. 1, 2026

“There has to be synergy within collaborations,” said Hillard.

From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026

What is certain is that Rogers is a versatile, Premier League-proven player whose skillset has synergy with many of the aspects required in what Alonso will try to do at Chelsea.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

The exciting synergy of institutional life in an all-purpose national metropolis was deemed less important than the dangerous corruptions likely to afflict a nexus of politicians and financiers.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

“Ultimately, this acquisition is all about revenue synergies, not costs,” Jefferies says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

Layoffs are expected, as Ellison has promised $6 billion in annual synergies within three years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

Schneider said the deal is priced at 13 times earnings once synergies are included, though most of that is from projected revenue synergies, which are typically harder to realize.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026

If Royal Caribbean “can show there are also strategic synergies, the deal could have merit.”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026

We thus get beyond the range of stereotyped synergies, of habituations of particular groups of nerve-centres to common action.

From Human Personality and its Survival of Bodily Death by F. W. H. (Frederic William Henry) Myers

Related Words

• collaboration
• cooperation
• teamwork