synthetic
[sin-thet-ik]
- of, pertaining to, proceeding by, or involving synthesis (opposed to analytic).
- noting or pertaining to compounds formed through a chemical process by human agency, as opposed to those of natural origin: synthetic vitamins; synthetic fiber.
- (of a language) characterized by a relatively widespread use of affixes, rather than separate words, to express syntactic relationships: Latin is a synthetic language, while English is analytic.Compare analytic(def 3), polysynthetic(def 1).
- Also syn·thet·i·cal. Logic. of or relating to a noncontradictory proposition in which the predicate is not included in, or entailed by, the subject.
- not real or genuine; artificial; feigned: a synthetic chuckle at a poor joke.
- Jewelry.
- noting a gem mineral manufactured so as to be physically, chemically, and optically identical with the mineral as found in nature.
- (not in technical use) noting a gem mineral manufactured and pigmented in imitation of a natural gemstone of that name.
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- something made by a synthetic, or chemical, process.
- synthetics.
- substances or products made by chemical synthesis, as plastics or artificial fibers.
- the science or industry concerned with such products.
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Origin of synthetic
Synonyms
See more synonyms for synthetic on Thesaurus.com5. fake, phony, counterfeit, sham.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for synthetic
Contemporary Examples
One key ingredient of the stuff: Propylene glycol, a synthetic liquid that absorbs water.
The Illinois legislation does not include bioplastics like PHA, defining the banned microplastics to be of the synthetic type.
But the arguments over drug testing may cease to matter if the synthetic drug epidemic continues.
With more than 300 synthetic cannabinoids in use today, drug-testing companies are struggling to keep up with the new varieties.
Scientists at the Scripps Research Institute produced the first living organism with synthetic bacteria this May.
Historical Examples
Synthetic foods there were for at least a hundred Martian days.
Genius is synthetic, elliptic, sudden, but always clear and sure.
The Goat-gland TransplantationSydney B. Flower
Phillips had a logical mind and a capacity for synthetic induction.
The Island MysteryGeorge A. Birmingham
No mention now of the Eurasian exemplar, the synthetic "over-man."
Dreamers of the GhettoI. Zangwill
He proves the importance of synthetic registration in peoples.
Adventures in the ArtsMarsden Hartley
synthetic
- (of a substance or material) made artificially by chemical reaction
- not genuine; insinceresynthetic compassion
- denoting languages, such as Latin, whose morphology is characterized by synthesisCompare polysynthetic, agglutinative (def. 2), analytic (def. 3)
- philosophy
- (of a proposition) having a truth-value that is not determined solely by virtue of the meanings of the words, as in all men are arrogant
- contingentCompare a posteriori, empirical
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- a synthetic substance or material
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Word Origin
C17: from New Latin syntheticus, from Greek sunthetikos expert in putting together, from suntithenai to put together; see synthesis
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for synthetic
adj.
1690s, as a term in logic, from French synthétique (17c.), from Modern Latin syntheticus, from Greek synthetikos, from synthetos, past participle of syntithenai (see synthesis). From 1874 in reference to products or materials made artificially by chemical synthesis; hence "artificial" (1930).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
synthetic
(sĭn-thĕt′ĭk)- Relating to or involving synthesis.
- Produced by chemical synthesis, especially not of natural origin.
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- A synthetic chemical compound or material.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
synthetic
[sĭn-thĕt′ĭk]
- Produced artificially, especially in a laboratory or other man-made environment. Nylon is a synthetic chemical compound.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.