syn·thet·ic
sin-ˈthe-tik 
1
: relating to or involving synthesis : not analytic
the synthetic aspects of a philosophy
2
: attributing to a subject something determined by observation rather than analysis of the nature of the subject and not resulting in self-contradiction if negated compare analytic
3
: characterized by frequent and systematic use of inflected forms to express grammatical relationships
synthetic languages
4
a(1)
: of, relating to, or produced by chemical or biochemical synthesis
especially
: produced artificially
synthetic drugs
synthetic silk
(2)
: of or relating to a synfuel
b
: devised, arranged, or fabricated for special situations to imitate or replace usual realities
c
: factitious, bogus
: something resulting from synthesis rather than occurring naturally
especially
: a product (such as a drug or plastic) of chemical synthesis
Synonyms
Examples of synthetic in a Sentence
Adjective
that organic farm doesn't use any pesticides or synthetic fertilizers
boots of waterproof synthetic leather
Noun
The drug is a synthetic.
Recent Examples on the Web
Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2024
Researchers are also working on protecting seed source trees from the mountain pine beetles, which involves hanging pouches with synthetic version of the beetles on the tree, Bockino said.
—Lilia Geho, ABC News, 23 Apr. 2024
There are synthetic viruses that have close to 100 percent lethality while still being as transmissible as SARS-CoV-2.
—Lauren Goode, WIRED, 23 Apr. 2024
Today, drug overdoses kill more than 100,000 people annually in this country, with fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, touted as the leading cause of death for people between the ages of 18 to 45.
—Jeff Gage, Rolling Stone, 23 Apr. 2024
And senators have proposed at least nine bills aimed at curbing overdose deaths, particularly from the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl.
—Don Thompson, Sacramento Bee, 22 Apr. 2024
Image The heart of the growth is semaglutide, Novo Nordisk’s synthetic version of a hormone known as glucagon-like peptide 1, or GLP-1, which helps the body regulate blood sugar levels.
—Eshe Nelson Charlotte De La Fuente, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2024
The music would be at once mechanistic and human, cold and hot, synthetic and organic.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 11 Apr. 2024
Compared to those made of synthetic materials, leather gloves offer less dexterity and breathability.
—Rachel Ahrnsen, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Apr. 2024
Romy Ellenbogen, Miami Herald, 16 Feb. 2024
Nine people, all from either St. Paul or Minneapolis, have been charged in U.S. District Court in St. Paul with conspiracy to distribute the potent synthetic opioid between August 2022 and December 2023.
—Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 6 Mar. 2024
Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that has helped fuel the nation's overdose epidemic, but it is also used in legitimate medical settings to relieve severe pain.
—CBS News, 29 Feb. 2024
Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that can be deadly even in small amounts.
—Jacqueline Howard, CNN, 22 Feb. 2024
Like much of the nation, San Diego County has been grappling with skyrocketing rates of overdoses and deaths attributed to the powerful synthetic opioid, which is up to 50 times stronger than heroin, 100 times stronger than morphine and can be lethal in tiny doses.
—Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Feb. 2024
The small pieces of paper detect the presence of the highly-lethal synthetic opioid so the user can take steps to prevent an overdose.
—Brittany Carloni, The Indianapolis Star, 26 Jan. 2024
But even though synthetics are great at wicking away moisture, that’s not always a good thing.
—Amanda Heidt, Scientific American, 1 Feb. 2024
How warm synthetics are is usually based on the weight in grams.
—Meg Carney, Field & Stream, 4 Jan. 2024
Adjective
Some companies have been turning to synthetic data, using generative AI models to create more data that is in turn then used to train the next generation of generative AI models.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2024
Researchers are also working on protecting seed source trees from the mountain pine beetles, which involves hanging pouches with synthetic version of the beetles on the tree, Bockino said.
—Lilia Geho, ABC News, 23 Apr. 2024
There are synthetic viruses that have close to 100 percent lethality while still being as transmissible as SARS-CoV-2.
—Lauren Goode, WIRED, 23 Apr. 2024
Today, drug overdoses kill more than 100,000 people annually in this country, with fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, touted as the leading cause of death for people between the ages of 18 to 45.
—Jeff Gage, Rolling Stone, 23 Apr. 2024
And senators have proposed at least nine bills aimed at curbing overdose deaths, particularly from the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl.
—Don Thompson, Sacramento Bee, 22 Apr. 2024
Image The heart of the growth is semaglutide, Novo Nordisk’s synthetic version of a hormone known as glucagon-like peptide 1, or GLP-1, which helps the body regulate blood sugar levels.
—Eshe Nelson Charlotte De La Fuente, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2024
The music would be at once mechanistic and human, cold and hot, synthetic and organic.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 11 Apr. 2024
Compared to those made of synthetic materials, leather gloves offer less dexterity and breathability.
—Rachel Ahrnsen, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Apr. 2024
Noun
Florida senators on Thursday unanimously passed a bill that would exclude synthetic or naturally occurring delta-8 and delta-10 from being legally sold as hemp products.
—Romy Ellenbogen, Miami Herald, 16 Feb. 2024
Nine people, all from either St. Paul or Minneapolis, have been charged in U.S. District Court in St. Paul with conspiracy to distribute the potent synthetic opioid between August 2022 and December 2023.
—Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 6 Mar. 2024
Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that has helped fuel the nation's overdose epidemic, but it is also used in legitimate medical settings to relieve severe pain.
—CBS News, 29 Feb. 2024
Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that can be deadly even in small amounts.
—Jacqueline Howard, CNN, 22 Feb. 2024
Like much of the nation, San Diego County has been grappling with skyrocketing rates of overdoses and deaths attributed to the powerful synthetic opioid, which is up to 50 times stronger than heroin, 100 times stronger than morphine and can be lethal in tiny doses.
—Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Feb. 2024
The small pieces of paper detect the presence of the highly-lethal synthetic opioid so the user can take steps to prevent an overdose.
—Brittany Carloni, The Indianapolis Star, 26 Jan. 2024
But even though synthetics are great at wicking away moisture, that’s not always a good thing.
—Amanda Heidt, Scientific American, 1 Feb. 2024
How warm synthetics are is usually based on the weight in grams.
—Meg Carney, Field & Stream, 4 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'synthetic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near synthetic
Cite this Entry
“Synthetic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/synthetic. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
synthetic
1 of 2 adjective
syn·thet·ic
sin-ˈthet-ik
1
: relating to or involving synthesis
2
: of, relating to, or produced by chemical synthesis
especially
: produced artificially
synthetic drugs
synthetic fibers
synthetic
2 of 2 noun
: a product of chemical synthesis
Medical Definition
synthetic
1 of 2 adjective
syn·thet·ic
sin-ˈthet-ik
: of, relating to, or produced by chemical or biochemical synthesis
especially
: produced artificially
synthetic drugs
synthetic dyes
synthetic
2 of 2 noun
: a product (as a drug) of chemical synthesis
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