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

This system allows it to contract far more quickly than human muscle, and researchers say the discovery could eventually help guide the development of faster artificial muscles and synthetic cellular machinery.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026

The autocallables notes are synthetic, in that their returns are generated through swap agreements.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026

That would rule out for now synthetic stock tokens offered by brokers and exchanges outside the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

In a recent paper, Kirk evaluated whether Scottish people would classify recorded human and synthetic speech as human or AI.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

Danny’s trading life was man versus man, but this felt more like man versus nature: The synthetic CDO had become a synthetic natural disaster.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

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

The more pricey polyester and other synthetics are, the more clothing and textile makers shift to cotton, prices of which have been depressed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 28, 2026

The Federal Aviation Administration in 1999 recommended that garments made of cotton, wool, leather, and yes, even denim were preferable over synthetics.

From Slate ● Mar. 14, 2025

Biopesticides and other natural products are often less effective than synthetics, so it’s hard to use them the same way.

From Salon ● Jan. 2, 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