synthetic

American  

[sin-thet-ik] / sɪnˈθɛt ɪk /

adjective

1. of, pertaining to, proceeding by, or involving synthesis (opposed to analytic).

2. noting or pertaining to compounds formed through a chemical process by human agency, as opposed to those of natural origin.

   synthetic vitamins; synthetic fiber.

3. (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.

4. Logic. Also synthetical. of or relating to a noncontradictory proposition in which the predicate is not included in, or entailed by, the subject.

5. not real or genuine; artificial; feigned.

   a synthetic chuckle at a poor joke.

   Synonyms:

   sham, counterfeit, phony, fake

6. Jewelry.

   1. noting a gem mineral manufactured so as to be physically, chemically, and optically identical with the mineral as found in nature.

   2. (not in technical use) noting a gem mineral manufactured and pigmented in imitation of a natural gemstone of that name.

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noun

• synthetics
  plural

1. something made by a synthetic, or chemical, process.

2. synthetics.

   1. substances or products made by chemical synthesis, as plastics or artificial fibers.

   2. the science or industry concerned with such products.

synthetic British  

/ sɪnˈθɛtɪk /

adjective

1. (of a substance or material) made artificially by chemical reaction

2. not genuine; insincere

   synthetic compassion

3. denoting languages, such as Latin, whose morphology is characterized by synthesis Compare polysynthetic agglutinative analytic

4. philosophy

   1. (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

   2. contingent Compare a posteriori empirical

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noun

1. a synthetic substance or material

synthetic Scientific  

/ sĭn-thĕt′ĭk /

1. Produced artificially, especially in a laboratory or other man-made environment. Nylon is a synthetic chemical compound.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonsynthetic
  adjective
• nonsynthetical
  adjective
• unsynthetic
  adjective
• nonsynthetically
  adverb
• synthetically
  adverb
• unsynthetically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• synthetics
  plural

Etymology

Origin of synthetic

1690–1700; < New Latin syntheticus < Greek synthetikós, equivalent to synthet ( ós ) placed together, verbid of syntithénai to put together ( syn- syn- + the-, stem of tithénai to put, place + -tos verbid suffix) + -ikos -ic

Explanation

Something made of artificial material, not natural items, can be described as synthetic. Some football stadiums have synthetic grass, and a leisure suit from the 1970s might be made of synthetic fabric. The adjective synthetic usually describes things created by chemical synthesis (synthetic compound, synthetic drug, synthetic material), but it sometimes describes an emotion that is feigned or not genuine. A person who exudes only synthetic friendliness probably isn't someone you want to hang out with, for example.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

synthetic synthetics

Randles added: "Once you've knitted with it and washed it, it drapes beautifully whereas sometimes when you knitting with synthetic it doesn't drape but this stuff does."

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

ChatGPT maker OpenAI was forced to apologise in 2024 to star Scarlett Johansson over a synthetic voice that sounded like her, released after she declined to work with OpenAI on the project.

From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026

He points to research estimating the environmental impact of cellulosic microfibers as one to two orders of magnitude lower than that of synthetic fibers, largely because they degrade faster.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

By understanding how Spirostomum repeatedly triggers and resets its calcium-driven contraction system, researchers hope to uncover principles that could be adapted for synthetic devices.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026

Even with the modern availability of synthetic fertilizers produced by chemical factories, the major source of crop fertilizer today in most societies is still animal manure—especially of cows, but also of yaks and sheep.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Pro-kratom groups like the American Kratom Association are pushing for bans against synthetics "posing as natural kratom".

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026

The contract allows for limited use of synthetics, under "unusual circumstances," when a generative AI system can be used to create a character who is not based on any actual person in the world.

From Barron's ● May 30, 2026

Petroleum is also used to make detergents that help toothpaste foam and synthetics that improve shelf life.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 21, 2026

Composed of icy club beats and steadfast synthetics, she describes the album as “sonically concise,” in that she intentionally used limited instrumentation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2025

Without synthetics, processed foods like TV dinners just can’t be manufactured.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan

Related Words

• fabricated
• manufactured