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

Claude also happens to already have considerable military applications, such as synthesizing huge amounts of intelligence and information and boosting the efficacy of government hackers. —Idrees Kahloon, The Atlantic, 26 Feb. 2026

In a traditional classroom, the struggle to synthesize multiple papers to create an original thesis, or solve a complex precalculus problem is exactly where learning occurs. —Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 24 Feb. 2026

Hydrogenation is an industrial process used to transform substances like liquid vegetable oils into stable solid fats and to synthesize pharmaceuticals, plastics, and fuels. —Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 23 Feb. 2026

It is sold in its leaf form and in a more concentrated and lethal lab synthesized version. —Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 21 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1830, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for synthesize

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

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