synchronous

American  

[sing-kruh-nuhs] / ˈsɪŋ krə nəs /

adjective

1. occurring at the same time; coinciding in time; contemporaneous; simultaneous.

   The longest running “Turkey Trot” 5K is being held as a synchronous race in more than a dozen cities this Thanksgiving morning, and all proceeds will benefit the food bank.

2. (especially in education) occurring in real time, as with participants logged in at an appointed time for a live lecture or discussion: Synchronous telemedicine connects patients for instantaneous interactions with a medical professional.

   Lectures for this blended learning class are synchronous webinars and will not be recorded or posted for asynchronous access.

   Synchronous telemedicine connects patients for instantaneous interactions with a medical professional.

3. going on at the same rate and exactly together; recurring together.

4. Physics, Electricity. having the same frequency and zero phase difference.

5. Digital Technology. relating to or being a computer operation that must complete before another event can begin.

   The synchronous operation requires the host CPU to block subsequent activities until the current process concludes.

6. Computers, Telecommunications. of, relating to, or operating using fixed-time intervals coordinated by a clock, as in paired data transmission.

7. Aerospace. geostationary.

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synchronous British  

/ ˈsɪŋkrənəs /

adjective

1. occurring at the same time; contemporaneous

2. physics (of periodic phenomena, such as voltages) having the same frequency and phase

3. occurring or recurring exactly together and at the same rate

   the synchronous flapping of a bird's wings

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Usage

What does synchronous mean? Synchronous describes two or more things happening at the same time, as in The fire resulted in the synchronous events of the fire alarm going off and the sprinkler system activating. Synchronous describes something happening in real time, such as with an online course when the students and instructor are all logged in at the same time for a lecture. If you’ve ever attended school via live video, you attended a synchronous class. Synchronous also describes multiple things happening side by side at the same rate, as in The birdwatcher watched the synchronous flapping of the robin’s wings. In physics, synchronous means having the same frequency or phase. A synchronous electric motor, for example, involves a design that results in electric fields of equal voltage. Example: The frail shelter suffered the synchronous assault of high winds and heavy rain.

Other Word Forms

• nonsynchronous
  adjective
• nonsynchronously
  adverb
• nonsynchronousness
  noun
• synchronously
  adverb
• synchronousness
  noun
• unsynchronous
  adjective
• unsynchronously
  adverb
• unsynchronousness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of synchronous

First recorded in 1660–70; from Late Latin synchronus, from Greek sýnchronos, equivalent to syn- “with, together + chrón(os) “time” + -os adjective suffix; see syn-, -ous

Explanation

If you are a werewolf, your animal transformation is synchronous with the lunar cycle. When something is synchronous, it occurs in time or at the same time with something else. In synchronous, you see syn- meaning "together," and -chron- meaning "time." If things such as swimming moves are synchronous, they are said to be in sync. Jewel thieves and undercover operatives synchronize their watches so that the team ensures synchronous actions. If the police question you about a crime and your alibi is that you were out dancing, it means that the occurrences of the crime and your dance were synchronous, so you could not be the perpetrator.

Example Sentences

Synchronous increases in the flammability of forests and the frequency of lightning strikes are a worrying sign that intact extratropical forests will face an increasing threat of wildfire in future.

From Science Daily • Nov. 9, 2023

Synchronous to the debates around heroic police characters in TV and movies that "Bad Boys" contributes to perpetuating are critiques concerning the commodification of Black pain.

From Salon • Dec. 6, 2022

Anderson, S. A., Classey, J. D., Condé, F., Lund, J. S. & Lewis, D. A. Synchronous development of pyramidal neuron dendritic spines and parvalbumin-immunoreactive chandelier neuron axon terminals in layer III of monkey prefrontal cortex.

From Nature • Feb. 20, 2018

Synchronous fireflies are uncommon: Only three species inhabit North America and most live in the Appalachian regions stretching from Georgia to southern Pennsylvania.

From Washington Post • Jun. 6, 2017

Synchronous moods in the two persons whose interests she held so closely to heart was a symptom, she told herself, that gave warrant for hope.

From Prince or Chauffeur? A Story of Newport by McFall, J. V.