synthetic 1 of 2

adjective

sin-ˈthe-tik How to pronounce synthetic (audio)
Definition of syntheticnext
1
as in artificial
produced by humans rather than natural processes that organic farm doesn't use any pesticides or synthetic fertilizers

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in faux
being such in appearance only and made with or manufactured from usually cheaper materials synthetic fur collars boots of waterproof synthetic leather

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

synthetic

2 of 2

noun

as in simulation

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of synthetic
Adjective
The challenge is not racing to construct a synthetic copy but cultivating the capacity to recognize, interface with and leverage what has been present all along. — Pravir Malik, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026 Skip stretchy fake spiderwebs Of all the Halloween decorations people display outdoors, synthetic spiderwebs are the most dangerous, according to many wildlife experts. — Katie Koschalk, Scientific American, 16 Oct. 2026
Noun
The synthetic gives you direction and a new lens, but humans still make the decisions. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026 In The Sacramento Bee’s climate model simulations built with dozens of synthetic super El Niños, the strongest events line up with the wettest California winters statewide. — Sean MacAday, Sacbee.com, 20 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for synthetic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for synthetic
  1. artificial
  2. faux
  3. simulation
  4. simulated
  5. fake
  6. dummy
  7. false
  8. imitative
Adjective
  • Other parts of government already contract out rocket launches, cloud storage, satellite intelligence and artificial-intelligence analysis to the tech sector.
    — Sarah Scoles, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Stocks in the artificial-intelligence industry bounced back Monday on Wall Street and recovered some of their steep losses from last week, but the rest of the market and stocks worldwide were shaky.
    — Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of artificial
Adjective
  • Her nose was also dotted with the faux freckles that were scattered across the bridge.
    — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Zebra tablecloths and napkins completed the safari theme, and the walls were decorated with faux magazine covers of Bradfield and his partner, auctioneer William Featherby.
    — Richard Johnson, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of faux
Noun
  • The researchers ran 100,000 simulations using different revenue and discount-rate assumptions, and 85% produced a net loss for the state.
    — Bilin Lin, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Researchers emphasized that these findings are estimates from a computer simulation, not actual infections.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of simulation
Adjective
  • Prosecutors say he was beaten, suspended by his hands and feet and subjected to simulated drowning during two days of interrogation.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026
  • After many attempts of trial and error in a simulated environment, MonoRace figured out the best ways to quickly solve navigation problems and then apply that in the real world.
    — Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of simulated
Adjective
  • In episode 4, Noah made up an elaborate ruse involving a fake friend’s wedding in Napa — a means of getting Joanne to wine country for a romantic weekend.
    — Julia Moore, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The two fans came with their own props even though fake mustaches were given to fans at the entry gates.
    — Armando L. Sanchez, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of fake
Adjective
  • Technicians spent weeks running inert dummy rods through the cutters to verify tolerances before introducing live radioactive fuel.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Perception set up a dummy news site and created fake social-media accounts highlighting the tournament’s amenities, which included kosher food in stadiums.
    — Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of dummy
Adjective
  • Experts worry federal law enforcement could potentially use those false claims — or others generated this year — as pretext to try to seize ballots during the counting period, or interfere in the process in some other way.
    — Miles Parks, NPR, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The false polling data from Wedgewood Polls consistently favored Democrats, particularly progressive candidates.
    — Hailey Bullis, The Washington Examiner, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of false
Adjective
  • Using techniques like input-dependent computation and gating, the liquid AI design gives us substantially greater power to access the human-like cognition, albeit imitative, of the machines.
    — John Werner, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Since then, whenever new tools to crank out communications have become available, somebody has flooded the zone with the fastest, most imitative material that could garner attention.
    — Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 8 Nov. 2025
Definition of imitative

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synthesizing
synthetic
synthetics
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Cite this Entry

“Synthetic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/synthetic. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.

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