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

On his debut album, Bruise, Pitre synthesizes these instincts within a moodier, more cohesive palette than ever, reveling in the shades of gray between house and techno, words and noises, body music and brain music. — Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 23 July 2026

They can be synthesized and delivered as drugs, often by injection. — Will Stone, NPR, 23 July 2026

All the research Matthews' group had conducted, along with weather data from the time of the crash, was synthesized to develop a map of the most likely location and a search area of 10 square nautical miles. — Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 22 July 2026

All the research Matthews' group had done, combined with weather data from the time of the crash, was synthesized to create a map of the most likely location and a search area of 10 square nautical miles. — ABC News, 21 July 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