synchronous

[ sing-kruh-nuhs ]

/ ˈsɪŋ krə nəs /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: synchronous / synchronously on Thesaurus.com

adjective

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.

(especially in education) occurring in real time, as with participants logged in at an appointed time for a live lecture or discussion: 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.

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

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

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.

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

Aerospace. geostationary.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Compare asynchronous.

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

OTHER WORDS FROM synchronous

syn·chro·nous·ly, adverbsyn·chro·nous·ness, nounnon·syn·chro·nous, adjectivenon·syn·chro·nous·ly, adverb

non·syn·chro·nous·ness, nounun·syn·chro·nous, adjectiveun·syn·chro·nous·ly, adverbun·syn·chro·nous·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use synchronous in a sentence

Now any tutor on Sounding Board has more ways into a user’s mind and workflow, so every call isn’t synchronous and can be managed more evenly.
Sounding Board raises cash as startups wake up to executive coaching|Natasha Mascarenhas|January 22, 2021|TechCrunch
It will drop a rocket capable of carrying 100kg to Sun-synchronous orbit.
Rocket Report: Billionaire backs Scottish spaceport, Relativity bags a bundle|Eric Berger|December 4, 2020|Ars Technica
Real, lasting learning has to be synchronous for the majority of people.
As edtech crowds up, Campuswire bets big on real-time learning|Natasha Mascarenhas|November 11, 2020|TechCrunch
In previous presidential election years, Jenifer Hitchcock would follow a teaching plan that was synchronous with the election and the news around it.
As the election draws near, civics and government teachers walk a fine line|Joe Heim|October 29, 2020|Washington Post

One of those teams was Astra, the California-based launch company seeking to build an ultralow-cost rocket capable of delivering about 25kg to Sun-synchronous orbit.
Astra pitches larger rocket, suborbital cargo-delivery plan to Air Force|Eric Berger|October 1, 2020|Ars Technica
This armature is pivoted at its center, and thus executes vibrations synchronously with those of the pendulum.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 613, October 1, 1887|Various
Synchronously with the process of ovulation, there commences the monthly function of menstruation.
Woman|William J. Robinson
He shows that the two auricles move synchronously and that the two ventricles also contract at the same time.
William Harvey|D'Arcy Powers
Study, of course, but synchronously—letting the work be its own exercises.
Ex Voto|Samuel Bulter
Large, distended, tortuous, bluish vessels pulsating synchronously with the heart are seen and felt.
Manual of Surgery Volume Second: Extremities--Head--Neck. Sixth Edition.|Alexander Miles

British Dictionary definitions for synchronous

synchronous

/ (ˈsɪŋkrənəs) /

adjective

occurring at the same time; contemporaneous

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

occurring or recurring exactly together and at the same ratethe synchronous flapping of a bird's wings

Derived forms of synchronous

synchronously, adverbsynchronousness, noun

Word Origin for synchronous

C17: from Late Latin synchronus, from Greek sunkhronos, from syn- + khronos time

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

synchronous

Origin of synchronous

OTHER WORDS FROM synchronous

Words related to synchronous

How to use synchronous in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for synchronous

Derived forms of synchronous

Word Origin for synchronous