synthesizer

American  

[sin-thuh-sahy-zer] / ˈsɪn θəˌsaɪ zər /

noun

• synthesizers
  plural

1. a person or thing that synthesizes.

2. any of various electronic, sometimes portable consoles or modules, usually computerized, for creating, modifying, and combining tones or reproducing the sounds of musical instruments by controlling voltage patterns, operated by means of keyboards, joysticks, sliders, or knobs.

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synthesizer British  

/ ˈsɪnθɪˌsaɪzə /

noun

1. an electrophonic instrument, usually operated by means of a keyboard and pedals, in which sounds are produced by voltage-controlled oscillators, filters, and amplifiers, with an envelope generator module that controls attack, decay, sustain, and release

2. a person or thing that synthesizes

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• synthesizers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of synthesizer

First recorded in 1865–70; 1905–10 synthesizer for def. 2; synthesize + -er ¹

Explanation

A synthesizer is a musical instrument that has a keyboard like a piano but can sound like just about any instrument in the world. The usually small, modest keyboard of a synthesizer can be deceiving — it's not just an electronic piano. Synthesizers can mimic the sound of a saxophone, drums, hand claps, or even an orchestra's entire string section. Some synthesizers even let you play a recorded sound and then manipulate it so it sounds just the way you want it to. Synthesizer comes from synthesize, "combine two or more things," and its Greek root synthesis, "a putting together."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

synthesizer synthesizers

Fabi and I would take turns, I’d play a synthesizer melody and she would strum guitar chords, searching for rhythmic ideas; sometimes we’d just shout at each other.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

But the groaning synthesizer underneath her bashful smile tells you something is off — a crystalline tone now distended, unnerving.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

A veritable feast for the ears that shimmers with sound — a stray guitar flourish here, a pulsing synthesizer there.

From Salon ● Mar. 6, 2026

The mood shifts to R&B on Mr. Paich’s arrangement of Allen Toussaint’s “What Do You Want the Girl to Do,” complete with gospel backing vocals and synthesizer strings.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 23, 2026

Also, to save money, a synthesizer would be used to accompany the recordings rather than authentic instruments.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

Layers of synthesizers bubble and brood; vocal samples drift in and out of tracks, flat and unsettling, alluding to God and human biology.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

Throughout their discography, Irreversible Entanglements have seamlessly incorporated electronic elements such as synthesizers and modern postproduction into many of their compositions, which primarily feature otherwise organic instrumentation and textures.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 31, 2026

It combines drum machines, synthesizers, strings and a reversed sample from a 1960 film soundtrack.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 1, 2026

Even so, there was no budget left for the music, Franglen had to borrow equipment and instruments from the manufacturers, and the majority of the score was recorded on synthesizers in a rented apartment.

From BBC ● Dec. 12, 2025

I didn’t recognize the song, but I recognized David Gilmour’s voice, and the ebb and flow of Pink Floyd’s synthesizers.

From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken