synchronicity

noun syn·chro·nic·i·ty \ ˌsiŋ-krə-ˈni-sə-tē , ˌsin- \

|Updated on: 21 Jul 2018

Definition of synchronicity

plural synchronicities

1 : the quality or fact of being synchronous

2 : the coincidental occurrence of events and especially psychic events (such as similar thoughts in widely separated persons or a mental image of an unexpected event before it happens) that seem related but are not explained by conventional mechanisms of causality —used especially in the psychology of C. G. Jung

synchronicity was our Word of the Day on 01/23/2018. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of synchronicity from the Web

Truncating the original dialogue is limited to instances where reading speed and synchronicity with the audio are an issue.

— ace ratcliff, SELF, "I Rely On Closed Captions to Enjoy a Show And I Don't Appreciate Netflix's Way of Censoring Them," 10 July 2018
Most faces are studying the screens, watching the hands of the surgeon inside the patient, twisting and turning like a dancer’s hands, moving skillfully around the beating heart in perfect synchronicity.

— Longreads, "Somewhere Under My Left Ribs: A Nurse’s Story," 31 May 2018
This synchronicity is also evident in the way that the couple encourage those who stay at Casa Iris to become, if only for a fleeting moment, at one with the world around them.

— mark holgate, Vogue, "In Southern Tuscany, a New B&B Shared a Renovation Team With the Sistine Chapel," 30 May 2018
There’s synchronicity, whether or not people are experiencing something virtual at the same time.

— peter rubin, WIRED, "With Venues, Oculus and Facebook Push Social VR Into New Territory," 30 May 2018
Bands will be evaluated on their stage presence and preparedness; sound, volume and clarity; band synchronicity; song quality and choice; band enthusiasm and attitude; and audience response.

— suzanne baker, Naperville Sun, "Indian Prairie D204 Foundation seeking bands for its Back to School Bash competition," 29 May 2018
That’s why a detection scheme that doesn’t depend on synchronicity has such great appeal.

— NBC News, "Alien satellites might offer a new way to find E.T.," 19 Mar. 2018
There have been weird moments of synchronicity in the lives of our presidents, such as the fact that there is a photograph of a 6-year-old Teddy Roosevelt watching Abraham Lincoln’s funeral procession in New York in 1865.

— philip bump, Washington Post, "All of American history fits in the life span of only three presidents," 19 Feb. 2018
The tap duet Peck created, a set of moves with such precise synchronicity that the two dancers almost merge, was a homage to that time in his life and was to be the basis for the rest of the choreography.

— sasha weiss, New York Times, "Justin Peck Is Making Ballet That Speaks to Our Everyday Lives," 10 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'synchronicity.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

It happens to everyone sooner or later: A certain number pops up wherever you go; an old friend you haven't seen in 20 years since high school appears the same day you're looking at her picture in a yearbook; you're singing a song and turn on the radio - and the same song is playing. Such coincidences, here described by Thomas Ropp in the Arizona Republic, March 29,1999, are examples of synchronicity. The concept is linked to the psychology of Carl Jung. Jung didn't coin the word (the "simultaneousness" sense of "synchronicity" was already in use), but he gave it special importance in his writings. Jung believed that such "meaningful coincidences" play an important role in our lives. Today, some people even look to synchronicities for spiritual guidance.

First Known Use of synchronicity

circa 1889

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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Medical Dictionary

synchronicity

noun syn·chro·nic·i·ty \ ˌsiŋ-krə-ˈnis-ət-ē, ˌsin- \

medical Definition of synchronicity

plural synchronicities

: the coincidental occurrence of events and especially psychic events (as similar thoughts in widely separated persons or a mental image of an unexpected event before it happens) that seem related but are not explained by conventional mechanisms of causality —used especially in the psychology of C. G. Jung