syn·thet·ic
sin-ˈthe-tik 
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
: something resulting from synthesis rather than occurring naturally
especially
: a product (such as a drug or plastic) of chemical synthesis
Examples of synthetic in a Sentence
Adjective
that organic farm doesn't use any pesticides or synthetic fertilizers
boots of waterproof synthetic leather
Noun
The drug is a synthetic.
Recent Examples on the Web
Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025
The Indianapolis facility includes a manufacturing plant that will begin producing drugs in 2026 and a site that represents the largest investment to make active pharmaceutical ingredients for synthetic medicines in the country's history.
—Alice Park, Time, 17 Apr. 2025
Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 18 Mar. 2025
Apple showed substantial gains in graphics performance within the UL synthetic benchmarks, first with the new MacBook Air leading in the 1440p Steel Nomad test.
—PCMAG, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for synthetic
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.
Adjective
Consumers with allergies to synthetic food dyes are advised to monitor recall databases and carefully examine product labels.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025
The Indianapolis facility includes a manufacturing plant that will begin producing drugs in 2026 and a site that represents the largest investment to make active pharmaceutical ingredients for synthetic medicines in the country's history.
—Alice Park, Time, 17 Apr. 2025
Noun
The synthetic web, hung from the ceiling, was made with a combination of parachute cords and cords used for hair ties to mimic the two kinds of silk spiders used when spinning their webs.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 18 Mar. 2025
Apple showed substantial gains in graphics performance within the UL synthetic benchmarks, first with the new MacBook Air leading in the 1440p Steel Nomad test.
—PCMAG, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for synthetic
Cite this Entry
“Synthetic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/synthetic. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
synthetic
1 of 2 adjective
syn·thet·ic
sin-ˈthet-ik
1
: relating to or involving synthesis
2
: of, relating to, or produced by chemical synthesis
especially
: produced artificially
synthetic drugs
synthetic fibers
synthetic
2 of 2 noun
: a product of chemical synthesis
Medical Definition
synthetic
1 of 2 adjective
syn·thet·ic
sin-ˈthet-ik
: of, relating to, or produced by chemical or biochemical synthesis
especially
: produced artificially
synthetic drugs
synthetic dyes
synthetic
2 of 2 noun
: a product (as a drug) of chemical synthesis
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share