synthesis

American  

[sin-thuh-sis] / ˈsɪn θə sɪs /

noun

syntheses plural

1. the combining of the constituent elements of separate material or abstract entities into a single or unified entity (opposed to analysis).

2. a complex whole formed by combining.

3. Chemistry. the forming or building of a more complex substance or compound from elements or simpler compounds.

4. Philosophy. the third stage of argument in Hegelian dialectic, which reconciles the mutually contradictory first two propositions, thesis and antithesis.

5. Biology. modern synthesis, a consolidation of the results of various lines of investigation from the 1920s through the 1950s that supported and reconciled the Darwinian theory of evolution and the Mendelian laws of inheritance in terms of natural selection acting on genetic variation.

6. Psychology, Psychiatry. the integration of traits, attitudes, and impulses to create a total personality.

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synthesis British  

/ ˈsɪnθɪsɪs /

noun

1. the process of combining objects or ideas into a complex whole Compare analysis

2. the combination or whole produced by such a process

3. the process of producing a compound by a chemical reaction or series of reactions, usually from simpler or commonly available starting materials

4. linguistics the use of inflections rather than word order and function words to express the syntactic relations in a language Compare analysis

5. archaic philosophy synthetic reasoning

6. philosophy

   1. (in the writings of Kant) the unification of one concept with another not contained in it Compare analysis

   2. the final stage in the Hegelian dialectic, that resolves the contradiction between thesis and antithesis

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synthesis Scientific  

/ sĭn′thĭ-sĭs /

syntheses plural

1. The formation of a chemical compound through the combination of simpler compounds or elements.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• synthesist
  noun
• nonsynthesis
  noun
• resynthesis
  noun

Inflected Forms

noun

• syntheses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of synthesis

First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin, from Greek sýnthesis, from syn- syn- + the- (stem of tithénai “to put, place”) + -sis -sis

Explanation

Synthesis is the act of combining elements to form something new. If you describe your bedroom decor as a synthesis of vintage and punk, we'll know you mean a mixture of these two styles. Synthesis can be either concrete or abstract. Scientists use the word to talk about what happens when chemicals combine — think of photosynthesis: the process by which plants synthesize light, carbon dioxide, and water to produce food. If you write a screenplay titled Batman Saves Jane Eyre, then that's synthesis as well (though you may have trouble selling it). Synthesis can also refer to the act of combining ideas.

Example Sentences

The Messi at the 2022 World Cup was something else again - a synthesis of everything that had come before.

From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026

It found that chlorhexidine, an antiseptic mouthwash, disrupted nitrate processing and reduced gastric nitric oxide synthesis, while dietary nitrate supplementation partly preserved microbial function and nitric oxide related signaling during antiseptic use.

From Science Daily • May 25, 2026

In addition to designing aluminum compounds for use in chemical synthesis, the team is uncovering entirely new reactions.

From Science Daily • May 1, 2026

The Pentagon aims to establish the U.S. military as an ‘AI-first fighting force’ to enhance data synthesis and decision-making.

From Barron's • May 1, 2026

But even as geneticists celebrated the synthesis of heredity, evolution, and natural selection, the material nature of the gene remained an unsolved puzzle.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Related Words

• amalgam
• fusion