synthesis

American  

[sin-thuh-sis] / ˈsɪn θə sɪs /

noun

syntheses plural

1. the combining of the constituent elements of separate material or abstract entities into a single or unified entity (opposed to analysis).

2. a complex whole formed by combining.

3. Chemistry. the forming or building of a more complex substance or compound from elements or simpler compounds.

4. Philosophy. the third stage of argument in Hegelian dialectic, which reconciles the mutually contradictory first two propositions, thesis and antithesis.

5. Biology. modern synthesis, a consolidation of the results of various lines of investigation from the 1920s through the 1950s that supported and reconciled the Darwinian theory of evolution and the Mendelian laws of inheritance in terms of natural selection acting on genetic variation.

6. Psychology, Psychiatry. the integration of traits, attitudes, and impulses to create a total personality.

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synthesis British  

/ ˈsɪnθɪsɪs /

noun

1. the process of combining objects or ideas into a complex whole Compare analysis

2. the combination or whole produced by such a process

3. the process of producing a compound by a chemical reaction or series of reactions, usually from simpler or commonly available starting materials

4. linguistics the use of inflections rather than word order and function words to express the syntactic relations in a language Compare analysis

5. archaic philosophy synthetic reasoning

6. philosophy

   1. (in the writings of Kant) the unification of one concept with another not contained in it Compare analysis

   2. the final stage in the Hegelian dialectic, that resolves the contradiction between thesis and antithesis

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synthesis Scientific  

/ sĭn′thĭ-sĭs /

syntheses plural

1. The formation of a chemical compound through the combination of simpler compounds or elements.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonsynthesis
  noun
• resynthesis
  noun
• synthesist
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• syntheses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of synthesis

First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin, from Greek sýnthesis, from syn- syn- + the- (stem of tithénai “to put, place”) + -sis -sis

Explanation

Synthesis is the act of combining elements to form something new. If you describe your bedroom decor as a synthesis of vintage and punk, we'll know you mean a mixture of these two styles. Synthesis can be either concrete or abstract. Scientists use the word to talk about what happens when chemicals combine — think of photosynthesis: the process by which plants synthesize light, carbon dioxide, and water to produce food. If you write a screenplay titled Batman Saves Jane Eyre, then that's synthesis as well (though you may have trouble selling it). Synthesis can also refer to the act of combining ideas.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

synthesis syntheses

Mr. Argue applies the same brilliant synthesis of influences and mastery of several musical idioms that has distinguished his own magnificent 18-piece Secret Society ensemble, but here carrying a less urgent, more subdued feel.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026

Producing many different DNA sequences at the same time requires lowering the pH only at selected locations during each synthesis cycle.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026

It is at times slightly demanding and readers may wish to start with the elegant synthesis in Mr. Higham’s final chapter before going back to see how he arrived at it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

"When we deleted Mitch from the progenitor cells, we discovered that the environment created in these cells was not conducive to the synthesis of new fats," Gross explains.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 3, 2026

Just as a human being, a collection of 100 trillion cells, is typically in a steady state between synthesis and decay and is more than the sum of its parts, so also is a galaxy.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Not only research but also industrial applications in pharmaceutical syntheses and in materials science could all benefit from the results.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 9, 2024

The papers were reviews and syntheses of research by groups of scientists in several countries around the polar region.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 11, 2022

“Resynthesizers” is like a Russian nesting doll of thought experiments — a synthesis of syntheses — one that is partly explained by a dense handout flyer printed in tiny sans-serif font.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 6, 2021

In August, the group debuted a list of the best, most up-to-date evidence syntheses on COVID-19.

From Science Magazine ● Oct. 8, 2020

Since Toynbee’s attempt, worldwide syntheses of historical causation have fallen into disfavor among most historians, as posing an apparently intractable problem.

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

Related Words

• amalgam
• fusion