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
Derived 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.
The new spending document offers a call out to "high-priority projects" such as the Synergistic Air-Breathing Rocket Engine, a hypersonic, precooled engine for the United Kingdom's new spaceplane, and a supercomputer for weather forecasters.
From Science Magazine • Jun. 26, 2013
The third is the Synergistic Controversy, from 1555 to 1560, in which Pfeffinger, Eber, Major, Crell, Pezel, Strigel, and Stoessel held with Melanchthon that man by his own natural powers cooperates in his conversion.
From Historical Introductions to the Symbolical Books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church by Bente, F. (Friedrich)
The second article of the Formula of Concord, which decided the questions involved in the Synergistic Controversy, takes a clear, determined, and consistent stand against all forms and formulas of synergism.
From Historical Introductions to the Symbolical Books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church by Bente, F. (Friedrich)
Synergistic Predestination.—Synergism in the doctrine of conversion naturally leads to synergistic teaching on predestination.
From American Lutheranism Volume 2: The United Lutheran Church (General Synod, General Council, United Synod in the South) by Bente, F. (Friedrich)
The Synergistic Controversy considered the relations of divine grace and human liberty.
From History of Rationalism Embracing a Survey of the Present State of Protestant Theology by Hurst, J. F. (John Fletcher)
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.
