synthetic
/sɪnˈθetɪk/ (bre, ipa) · /sɪnˈθetɪk/ (ame, ipa) · /sin-ˈthe-tik/ (ame, mw)
synthetic — adjective
- syntheticpositive
- more syntheticcomparative
- most syntheticsuperlative
1. created in a laboratory through chemical reactions instead of being found in nat
created in a laboratory through chemical reactions instead of being found in nature; commonly describing fabrics, rubbers, and other materials designed to copy natural ones.
Sumin bought a jacket made of synthetic leather instead of real leather.
synthetic + leather / fabric type
Many outdoor jackets use synthetic fibres to keep out wind and rain.
The lab developed a synthetic alternative to natural rubber for car tyres.
Layla prefers natural cotton over synthetic materials for her summer clothes.
Sven checked the label to find out if the blanket was synthetic or wool.
- artificial
broader term; can refer to anything made by human effort rather than natural
- man-made
more informal; directly contrasts with natural but less precise about chemical origin
- manufactured
emphasises the industrial production process rather than chemical composition
- natural
produced by nature, not by humans
文法句型
synthetic + noun (fabric, material, substance)
用法筆記
Usually appears before a noun describing a product, fabric, or substance. Common collocates include fibres, materials, fabrics, rubber, leather, and chemicals.
常見錯誤
2. not real or natural in a social or emotional sense; created to give an impressio
not real or natural in a social or emotional sense; created to give an impression that is different from the truth.
Otis felt that the manager's enthusiasm at the meeting was synthetic and rehearsed.
synthetic + enthusiasm / emotion
The reality show felt synthetic, with every conflict planned by the producers.
Emily gave a synthetic smile at the party even though she was exhausted.
Critics called the film's emotional scenes synthetic and hard to believe.
文法句型
synthetic + noun (emotion, reaction, enthusiasm)
用法筆記
Carries a negative judgement — describes someone's behaviour or a product of human expression as fake. Typically modifies nouns for emotions, social performances, or artistic works.
常見錯誤
3. describing a language where grammar — such as who did something to someone — is
describing a language where grammar — such as who did something to someone — is signalled by adding endings onto existing words, instead of needing separate helper words like prepositions or auxiliary verbs.
Latin is a highly synthetic language where noun endings indicate subject and object roles.
synthetic + language (linguistic typology)
Professor Hari explained that ancient Greek used synthetic verb forms to show tense and person.
Unlike English, Turkish is a synthetic language that adds suffixes to express grammatical functions.
Amihan found the synthetic verb system of Finnish challenging because of its many endings.
- inflectional
more specific term emphasising the role of inflections; often used interchangeably with synthetic in linguistics
- fusional
refers to a subtype where a single ending carries multiple grammatical meanings at once
- analytic
describing languages that use separate words or word order rather than inflections
文法句型
synthetic + language
highly synthetic
用法筆記
A technical term in linguistics. Synthetic languages are contrasted with analytic (or isolating) languages like Chinese, where word order and separate function words carry grammatical meaning.
4. relating to the approach of bringing together separate ideas, facts, or parts to
relating to the approach of bringing together separate ideas, facts, or parts to form a connected whole; used especially in contrast to analytic thinking that breaks things apart.
The philosopher argued that synthetic reasoning brings separate observations into a unified theory.
synthetic + reasoning / thinking (contrast with analytic)
Stephanie wrote a synthetic analysis that combined data from five different research studies.
The course taught students to think in a synthetic way, connecting ideas across different fields.
Obi presented a synthetic view of the problem, drawing on economics, sociology, and history.
- integrative
emphasises the act of bringing parts into a whole; common in academic contexts
- combinatory
more technical; stresses the combining of separate elements
- holistic
views something as a whole rather than focusing on individual parts; broader than synthetic
- analytic
breaking things into separate parts for examination
文法句型
synthetic + noun (thinking, approach, analysis, reasoning)
用法筆記
Opposite of analytic in academic and philosophical contexts. A synthetic approach combines findings; an analytic approach breaks a problem into smaller pieces. Often used in academic writing about methodology.
synthetic — noun
1. a substance or product created artificially by combining chemical elements, rath
a substance or product created artificially by combining chemical elements, rather than one that occurs in nature.
The factory produces synthetics for use in clothing, packaging, and car parts.
synthetics (plural) — general category of artificial substances
Rafael argued that nylon was one of the most important early synthetics.
Many modern synthetics are designed to be more durable than natural materials.
The chemist developed a new synthetic that breaks down faster in the environment.
Sade tested whether the synthetic could withstand high temperatures without melting.
- artificial substance
clearer for general readers but less concise
- chemical compound
broader — includes natural chemicals too
- natural product
something produced by nature
- organic compound
naturally occurring carbon-based substance
文法句型
a synthetic
synthetics (plural)
用法筆記
The noun form is much less common than the adjective. Often appears in the plural (synthetics) to refer to the broad category of artificial materials in industry, manufacturing, or chemistry.