synthesize

verb

syn·​the·​size ˈsin(t)-thə-ˌsīz 

synthesized; synthesizing

transitive verb

1

: to combine or produce by synthesis

2

: to make a synthesis of

3

: to produce (something, such as music) by an electronic synthesizer

intransitive verb

: to make a synthesis

Did you know?

Synthesize is a very common word in chemistry, since chemists are constantly synthesizing new compounds—that is, synthetic compounds—including drugs and industrial chemicals. It's also often used when talking about writing; nonfiction writers must often synthesize large amounts of material from many sources to produce a book—which represents a synthesis of the important materials. An electronic synthesizercreates new sounds (which may imitate the sounds of acoustic instruments) by generating different basic tones and then manipulating and merging them together with others.

Examples of synthesize in a Sentence

She synthesized the treatment from traditional and modern philosophies of medicine.

He synthesized old and new ideas to form his theory.

Amino acid is synthesized in the body.

Recent Examples on the Web

This community of bacteria, archaea, fungi and viruses is an active metabolic partner, synthesizing compounds your own cells cannot make, regulating inflammation, shaping immune responses and even influencing mood through the gut-brain axis. —Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 6 June 2026

Ames Lab will synthesize materials up to the hundreds-of-grams scale, while future scale-up to kilograms and tons will continue collaboratively. —Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 6 June 2026

Another synthesizes the Amish health culture. —Torie Bosch, STAT, 6 June 2026

This will be a way for the Vogue Business community to synthesize and reflect on the latest headlines and get a little inside scoop every Friday. —Elektra Kotsoni, Vogue, 5 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1830, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for synthesize

• advertise
• aggrandize
• alibis
• alkalies
• alkalis
• amortize
• amplifies
• analyse
• analyze
• anywise
• authorize
• butterflies

Kids Definition

synthesize

verb

syn·​the·​size ˈsin(t)-thə-ˌsīz 

synthesized; synthesizing

: to combine or produce by synthesis

Medical Definition

synthesize

transitive verb

syn·​the·​size

variants also British synthesise

-ˌsīz 

synthesized also British synthesised; synthesizing also British synthesising

: to combine or produce by synthesis

synthesize penicillin