systemic
Americanadjective
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of or relating to a system, especially when affecting the entirety of a thing.
systemic flaws in the design and construction of the vehicles.
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relating to or noting a policy, practice, or set of beliefs that has been established as normative or customary throughout a political, social, or economic system: systemic racism.
systemic inequality;
systemic racism.
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Physiology, Pathology.
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relating to or affecting the body as a whole.
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relating to or affecting a particular body system.
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(of a pesticide) absorbed and circulated by a plant or other organism so as to be lethal to pests that feed on it.
adjective
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another word for systematic systematic
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physiol (of a poison, disease, etc) affecting the entire body
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(of a pesticide, fungicide, etc) spreading through all the parts of a plant and making it toxic to pests or parasites without destroying it
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of systemic
Explanation
Something that's systemic affects all parts of something. If every dog at doggy daycare has fleas, it's a systemic problem. The adjective systemic is often used to describe diseases or disorders; a systemic illness affects your whole body or an entire system — like your digestive system. Any kind of system can experience systemic problems. For example, crime is a systemic problem in a community because it affects everyone from individuals to families, businesses, and tourism, just to name a few groups harmed by the problem.
Vocabulary lists containing systemic
President Biden's Inaugural Speech (January 2021)
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Stamped
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Just Mercy
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"They know there's clearly systemic issues here that need addressed and we need to work alongside the minister to identify them and address them."
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
“We have to be mindful that there’s potential for disruptions from other systemic things like interest rates or energy prices that might not, at their surface, tie directly to the AI buildout,” Rinehart said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026
Participants born between 1990 and 1999 had systemic aging that was 92% of one standard deviation higher than those born between 1965 and 1969.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
Both books are living archives that name the dead and artfully discuss systemic injustice.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
The world of systemic insecticides is a weird world, surpassing the imaginings of the brothers Grimm — perhaps most closely akin to the cartoon world of Charles Addams.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
