systemic

American  

[si-stem-ik] / sɪˈstɛm ɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to a system, especially when affecting the entirety of a thing.

   systemic flaws in the design and construction of the vehicles.

2. 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 racism.

   systemic inequality;

   systemic racism.

3. Physiology, Pathology.

   1. relating to or affecting the body as a whole.

   2. relating to or affecting a particular body system.

4. (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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systemic British  

/ -ˈstiː-, sɪˈstɛmɪk /

adjective

1. another word for systematic systematic

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

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

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noun

1. a systemic pesticide, fungicide, etc

Other Word Forms

• nonsystemic
  adjective
• systemically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of systemic

First recorded in 1795–1805; system + -ic

Explanation

Something that's systemic affects all parts of something. If every dog at doggy daycare has fleas, it's a systemic problem. The adjective systemic is often used to describe diseases or disorders; a systemic illness affects your whole body or an entire system — like your digestive system. Any kind of system can experience systemic problems. For example, crime is a systemic problem in a community because it affects everyone from individuals to families, businesses, and tourism, just to name a few groups harmed by the problem.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

systemic

Baroness Lampard promised that bereaved families would be at the heart of the inquiry because she wanted to identify systemic failures which the country could learn from.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

Under existing laws, banks have to maintain safe underwriting practices to protect against systemic defaults and their own failure.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

The two-acre space was the site of the California State Building, which suffered systemic damage in the 1971 Sylmar earthquake and was demolished five years later.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

While that increased market volatility is “the key concern,” Pascale said that, in his view, leveraged ETFs don’t pose “a systemic risk” in the U.S. that could trigger a dramatic drop in the S&P 500.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026

What may have looked like separate events were all evidence of seismic and systemic social change.

From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler

Related Words

• fundamental
• integral
• intrinsic