I. sin-ˈthe-tik adjective
Etymology: Greek synthetikos of composition, component, from syntithenai to put together
Date: 1697
1. : relating to or involving synthesis : not analytic
the synthetic aspects of a philosophy
2. : attributing to a subject something determined by observation rather than analysis of the nature of the subject and not resulting in self-contradiction if negated — compare analytic
3. : characterized by frequent and systematic use of inflected forms to express grammatical relationships
synthetic languages
4.
a.
(1) : of, relating to, or produced by chemical or biochemical synthesis ; especially : produced artificially
synthetic drugs
synthetic silk
(2) : of or relating to a synfuel
b. : devised, arranged, or fabricated for special situations to imitate or replace usual realities
c. : factitious , bogus
• syn·thet·i·cal·ly -ti-k(ə-)lē adverb
II. noun
Date: 1916
: something resulting from synthesis rather than occurring naturally ; especially : a product (as a drug or plastic) of chemical synthesis