synergy
noun
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An old saying, "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts", expresses the basic meaning of synergy. The word is sometimes used in a purely physical sense, especially when talking about drugs; sometimes a "cocktail" of drugs may be more effective than the sum of the effectiveness of each of the separate drugs. But the word is best known in the world of business. The notion that, when the right two companies merge, they'll produce a profitable synergy seemed exciting in the 1990s, when synergy became a trendy buzzword (even though it's actually been around since the 17th century). The idea of synergy was one factor in what became a "merger mania;" unfortunately, business synergy often turned out to be harder to achieve than to imagine.
Examples of synergy in a Sentence
Luca Evans, Denver Post, 24 Dec. 2025
Yet there are other disturbing synergies with the authoritarian past.
—Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2025
The acquisition creates supply chain synergies across the company, especially with projects in Mexican waters, the company said.
—Center Square, The Washington Examiner, 22 Dec. 2025
In 2019, Balvin and Bad Bunny hunkered down for two weeks to create Oasis, a collaborative record that showed off the pair’s musical synergy.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 22 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for synergy
Cite this Entry
“Synergy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/synergy. Accessed 27 Dec. 2025.
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