synergistic
Americanadjective
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pertaining to, characteristic of, or resembling synergy.
a synergistic effect.
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Chemistry, Pharmacology, Physiology. acting as a synergist; producing synergism; interacting.
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Theology. of or relating to theological synergism or synergists.
adjective
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acting together
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(of people, groups, or companies) working together in a creative, innovative, and productive manner
Usage
What does synergistic mean? Synergistic is used to describe things that produce, result from, or otherwise involve synergy. The word 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. Describing something as synergistic implies that the magic is in the combination, as opposed to in the individual elements themselves. Synergistic can be used to describe a combination that produces such an effect or things that work together in this way. It’s often used generally to describe things that work well together. A food critic might say that a particular dish is delicious due to its synergistic mixture of ingredients. A synergistic approach is one that incorporates different elements or groups to work together. 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 and their actions or effects can be described as synergistic. Less common synonyms for synergistic include synergic and synergetic. Example: The synergistic cooperation between these departments has led to great success.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of synergistic
First recorded in 1810–20; synerg(ism) or synerg(ist) + -istic
Explanation
When something is synergistic, it means various parts are working together to produce an enhanced result. If you’ve just heard a synergistic symphony, the musicians must have played very well together. You’ve probably heard the phrase “more than the sum of its parts.” The prefix syn- means "together with" or "united." When synergistic parts work together, they accomplish more than they could alone. Synergetic is often used to describe the effect of drugs working together — where one drug increases the other’s effectiveness. Synergistic can also describe the cooperative efforts of several people working together — like a team of superheroes fighting crime.
Vocabulary lists containing synergistic
This Week In Culture: January 25–31, 2019
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"Introduction to Homeland Security," Vocabulary from Chapter 3
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The Life and Crimes of Hoodie Rosen
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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.
"These disorders manifest in current symptoms of unending, synergistic, and complex delusions that thwart a rational understanding of his imminent execution," his lawyers argued.
From BBC • May 21, 2026
It leads to what Allen calls a “terrible synergistic effect” of people’s food being taken away and people getting sick because of it while health care is stripped away.
From Slate • Apr. 19, 2026
"Health effects of air pollution are synergistic manifestation of factors which include food habits, occupational habits, socio-economic status, medical history, immunity, heredity, etc," it said.
From Barron's • Dec. 3, 2025
"But when the two complex together, you only need very small amounts of each to cause damage. There's a synergistic effect with Aβ and fibrinogen."
From Science Daily • Oct. 22, 2025
Second, there is the Hamiltonian confidence that the concentration of political and economic power was a dynamic force; it was not a threatening cluster of invasive corruption, but a synergistic fusion of developmental energies.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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.
