systemic

[ si-stem-ik ]

/ sɪˈstɛm ɪk /

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See synonyms for systemic on Thesaurus.com

adjective

of or relating to a system, especially when affecting the entirety of a thing: systemic flaws in the design and construction of the vehicles.

relating to or noting a policy, practice, or set of beliefs that has been established as normative or customary throughout a political, social, or economic system: systemic inequality;systemic racism.

Physiology, Pathology.

relating to or affecting the body as a whole.
relating to or affecting a particular body system.

(of a pesticide) absorbed and circulated by a plant or other organism so as to be lethal to pests that feed on it.

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Origin of systemic

First recorded in 1795–1805; system + -ic

OTHER WORDS FROM systemic

sys·tem·i·cal·ly, adverbnon·sys·tem·ic, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH systemic

systematic, systemic

Words nearby systemic

systematist, systematize, systematology, system building, Système International d'Unités, systemic, systemic availability, systemic circulation, systemic grammar, systemic linguistics, systemic lupus erythematosus

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use systemic in a sentence

To transform toxic kitchens, operators, customers, and employees together must change these systemic mechanisms that keep workers silent in the first place.
The Toxicity of Restaurant Kitchens Is Exactly Why I Never Reported Abuses|Lindsey Danis|February 4, 2021|Eater
When you’re thinking deeply about systemic inequality, you’re bound to survey your own situation.
Deshaun Watson is taking a stand against disingenuous NFL owners. It could change the league.|Jerry Brewer|February 1, 2021|Washington Post
He told "Axios on HBO" that systemic racism — or racial bias, as he prefers to call it — exists everywhere but is "more obvious" in the NFL.
Washington Football Team president: I don’t think our name is “that weird”|Jeff Tracy|January 31, 2021|Axios
You’ve reported on some of these smaller swaths, individual stories and experiences, but also the larger systemic failures.
“We’ve Let the Worst Happen”: Reflecting on 400,000 Dead|by Logan Jaffe|January 23, 2021|ProPublica

Sure, you can and should, he argues, but the change we should be looking for is systemic, not individual.
Remote workers are greener, but their tech still has a real carbon cost|Devin Coldewey|January 20, 2021|TechCrunch
There are, however, systemic problems that must be addressed.
Are Police Stealing People’s Property?|Joan Blades, Matt Kibbe|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Born and raised in Mobile, Alabama, Brown seems to believe that this is simply another example of a systemic overhaul.
Deepwater Horizon: Life Drowning in Oil|Samuel Fragoso|November 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This is what perpetuates a systemic, institutionalized rape culture.
The Violent Side of Friday Night Lights|Robert Silverman|October 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The conforms of systemic racism have caused a precious grasping of your blackness that oft times seeks to destroy us.
‘black-ish’ Keeps It Real about the Invisible Black Man|Judnick Mayard|September 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And then, Ferguson showed us how systemic racism plays itself out.
What We Need Are Anti-Racists|Gene Robinson|August 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
What systemic measures are to be prescribed in acute urticaria?
Essentials of Diseases of the Skin|Henry Weightman Stelwagon
You can hardly call a corporate monster like Systemic Developments a private enterprise!
Industrial Revolution|Poul William Anderson
What systemic measures are to be prescribed in chronic and recurrent urticaria?
Essentials of Diseases of the Skin|Henry Weightman Stelwagon
There is, in some instances, preceding or accompanying systemic disturbance.
Essentials of Diseases of the Skin|Henry Weightman Stelwagon
Such an agent may often be advantageously combined with the Catalytic remedy, which tends to cure the systemic disorder.
The Action of Medicines in the System|Frederick William Headland

British Dictionary definitions for systemic

systemic

/ (sɪˈstɛmɪk, -ˈstiː-) /

adjective

another word for systematic (def. 1), systematic (def. 2)

physiol (of a poison, disease, etc) affecting the entire body

(of a pesticide, fungicide, etc) spreading through all the parts of a plant and making it toxic to pests or parasites without destroying it

noun

a systemic pesticide, fungicide, etc

Derived forms of systemic

systemically, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

systemic

Origin of systemic

OTHER WORDS FROM systemic

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH systemic

Words nearby systemic

Words related to systemic

How to use systemic in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for systemic

Derived forms of systemic