synthetic

C1 Topic:Materials & Substances

US /sɪnˈθɛtɪk/ See IPA manual

adj noun Freq #11740

Meanings

1

adj
Made artificially by chemical processes rather than coming from nature.

The jacket is made from synthetic fibres rather than wool.
2

adj
Not genuine or sincere; artificial.

Her smile looked synthetic and rehearsed.
3

noun
A material or substance made by chemical processes.

Many cheap clothes are made from synthetics rather than natural cotton.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · made artificially by... man-made artificial

Word family

Forms synthetics

Derived forms biosyntheticchemosyntheticelectrosyntheticgeosynthetichemisyntheticheterosyntheticmechanosyntheticmetasyntheticmutasyntheticnarcosyntheticnucleosyntheticoligosynthetic

Etymology

From French synthétique, from Ancient Greek συνθετικός (sunthetikós); Equivalent to synthesis + -ic (suffix formation of -tic).

*dʰeh₁- Proto-Indo-European synthétique French συνθετικός Ancient Greek

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Topics

Materials & Substances Word Formation & Derivatives

# synthetic

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** adj, noun
**IPA (US):** sɪnˈθɛtɪk
**Frequency rank:** 11740

## Meanings
1. Made artificially by chemical processes rather than coming from nature.
2. Not genuine or sincere; artificial.
3. A material or substance made by chemical processes.

## Examples
- The jacket is made from synthetic fibres rather than wool.
- Her smile looked synthetic and rehearsed.
- Many cheap clothes are made from synthetics rather than natural cotton.

## Derived Forms
- biosynthetic
- chemosynthetic
- electrosynthetic
- geosynthetic
- hemisynthetic
- heterosynthetic
- mechanosynthetic
- metasynthetic
- mutasynthetic
- narcosynthetic
- nucleosynthetic
- oligosynthetic

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *dʰeh₁-
- Root: synthétique
- Root: συνθετικός

## Etymology
From French synthétique, from Ancient Greek συνθετικός (sunthetikós); Equivalent to synthesis + -ic (suffix formation of -tic).

## AI Etymology
Synthetic is from French synthétique, from Ancient Greek συνθετικός (sunthetikós); Equivalent to synthesis + -ic (suffix formation of -tic). In present-day use, it can mean made artificially by chemical processes rather than coming from nature, or not genuine or sincere; artificial. Derived formations include biosynthetic, chemosynthetic, electrosynthetic, geosynthetic, and hemisynthetic.

## Topics
- Materials & Substances
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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