synthesis mean

• Daily Crossword
• Word Puzzle
• Word Finder
• Word of the Day
• Synonym of the Day
• Word of the Year
• Language stories
• All featured
• Gender and sexuality
• All pop culture
• Writing hub
• Grammar essentials
• Commonly confused
• All writing tips
• Pop culture
• Writing tips

Advertisement

[ sin -th uh -sis ]

• the combining of the constituent elements of separate material or abstract entities into a single or unified entity ( analysis ).
• a complex whole formed by combining.
• Chemistry. the forming or building of a more complex substance or compound from elements or simpler compounds.
• Philosophy. the third stage of argument in Hegelian dialectic , which reconciles the mutually contradictory first two propositions, thesis and antithesis.
• Biology. modern synthesis , a consolidation of the results of various lines of investigation from the 1920s through the 1950s that supported and reconciled the Darwinian theory of evolution and the Mendelian laws of inheritance in terms of natural selection acting on genetic variation.
• Psychology, Psychiatry. the integration of traits, attitudes, and impulses to create a total personality.

/ ˈsɪnθɪsɪs /

• the process of combining objects or ideas into a complex whole Compare analysis
• the combination or whole produced by such a process
• the process of producing a compound by a chemical reaction or series of reactions, usually from simpler or commonly available starting materials
• linguistics the use of inflections rather than word order and function words to express the syntactic relations in a language Compare analysis
• archaic. philosophy synthetic reasoning
• (in the writings of Kant) the unification of one concept with another not contained in it Compare analysis
• the final stage in the Hegelian dialectic, that resolves the contradiction between thesis and antithesis

/ sĭn ′ thĭ-sĭs /

, Plural syntheses sĭn ′ thĭ-sēz′

• The formation of a chemical compound through the combination of simpler compounds or elements.

Derived Forms

• ˈsynthesist , noun

Other Words From

• synthe·sist noun
• non·synthe·sis noun plural nonsyntheses
• re·synthe·sis noun plural resyntheses

Word History and Origins

Origin of synthesis 1

Example Sentences

Journalists and watchdogs have been pointing out these issues for years, but the film’s value isn’t its novelty—it’s that it’s a polished and cohesive synthesis of various threads of the conversation.

According to a 2017 paper on BCAAs and muscle protein synthesis, leucine triggers the necessary chemical reactions needed to fuse together muscle fibers, perhaps making this process more efficient.

Like everything our bodies do, muscle protein synthesis is chemically complicated, and can be affected by a variety of compounds, including hormones like testosterone and certain amino acids.

In particular, none of the genes involved in the synthesis, modification or degradation of retinoic acid were present.

In late 2018, for example, Insilico was generating novel molecules in fewer than 46 days, and this included not just the initial discovery, but also the synthesis of the drug and its experimental validation in computer simulations.

Palmer's inability to reach a synthesis in almost any area of his life is what makes him exasperating.

I may get the whole synthesis of something, or most of it, an initial impact.

David Frum on Allen Guelzo's compendious synthesis of new thinking about slavery and its aftermath.

Almost all Christians, even most textualists, accept the need for exegesis, synthesis, and theological application.

This was code: the Hebrew writers of Zionism were now reprising this Hellenizing genius and synthesis.

But where there is no existing relation between the words or ideas, it is a case for Synthesis, to be taught hereafter.

In such cases, Synthesis, which is taught hereafter, develops an indirect relation.

Synthesis will be sometimes hereafter resorted to to connect in our minds an event to its date.

Recollective Synthesis or Thoughtive Unification is used where no relation exists.

Dorlands Dictionary: Synthesis—The artificial building up of a chemic compound by the union of its elements.

Related Words

Look up a word, learn it forever.

Other forms: syntheses; synthesises

Synthesis is the act of combining elements to form something new. If you describe your bedroom decor as a synthesis of vintage and punk, we'll know you mean a mixture of these two styles.

Synthesis can be either concrete or abstract. Scientists use the word to talk about what happens when chemicals combine — think of photosynthesis : the process by which plants synthesize light, carbon dioxide, and water to produce food. If you write a screenplay titled Batman Saves Jane Eyre , then that's synthesis as well (though you may have trouble selling it). Synthesis can also refer to the act of combining ideas.

• noun the combination of ideas into a complex whole synonyms: synthetic thinking see more see less antonyms: analysis , analytic thinking the abstract separation of a whole into its constituent parts in order to study the parts and their relations type of: abstract thought , logical thinking , reasoning thinking that is coherent and logical
• noun the process of producing a chemical compound (usually by the union of simpler chemical compounds) see more see less types: biogenesis , biosynthesis production of a chemical compound by a living organism chemosynthesis synthesis of carbohydrate from carbon dioxide and water; limited to certain bacteria and fungi nucleosynthesis (astronomy) the cosmic synthesis of atoms more complex than the hydrogen atom type of: chemical action , chemical change , chemical process (chemistry) any process determined by the atomic and molecular composition and structure of the substances involved
• noun reasoning from the general to the particular (or from cause to effect) synonyms: deduction , deductive reasoning see more see less types: syllogism deductive reasoning in which a conclusion is derived from two premises type of: abstract thought , logical thinking , reasoning thinking that is coherent and logical

Vocabulary lists containing synthesis

Learn this list of 50 words taken from sample questions for the Biology 1 exam of the Florida EOC.

Get the facts about informational texts by reviewing this list. Learn about text structure, text features, reference works, author's purpose, tone and point of view, and much more. Your vocabulary will be off the charts once you master these words!

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement..

• More from M-W
• To save this word, you'll need to log in. Log In

Definition of synthesize

transitive verb

intransitive verb

Did you know?

Synthesize is a very common word in chemistry, since chemists are constantly synthesizing new compounds—that is, synthetic compounds—including drugs and industrial chemicals. It's also often used when talking about writing; nonfiction writers must often synthesize large amounts of material from many sources to produce a book—which represents a synthesis of the important materials. An electronic synthesizer creates new sounds (which may imitate the sounds of acoustic instruments) by generating different basic tones and then manipulating and merging them together with others.

Examples of synthesize in a Sentence

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'synthesize.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

1830, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Dictionary Entries Near synthesize

synthesis gas

synthesizer

Cite this Entry

“Synthesize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/synthesize. Accessed 20 Sep. 2024.

Kids Definition

Kids definition of synthesize, medical definition, medical definition of synthesize, more from merriam-webster on synthesize.

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for synthesize

Nglish: Translation of synthesize for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of synthesize for Arabic Speakers

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Word of the day.

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Every letter is silent, sometimes: a-z list of examples, plural and possessive names: a guide, the difference between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.', more commonly misspelled words, absent letters that are heard anyway, popular in wordplay, weird words for autumn time, much ado about ‘folie à deux’, 10 words from taylor swift songs (merriam's version), 9 superb owl words, 15 words that used to mean something different, games & quizzes.

• Cambridge Dictionary +Plus

Meaning of synthesis – Learner’s Dictionary

Your browser doesn't support HTML5 audio

(Definition of synthesis from the Cambridge Learner's Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Translations of synthesis

Get a quick, free translation!

Word of the Day

porch pirate

someone who steals parcels that have been left outside people's houses for them

A finger in every pie: phrases with the word ‘finger’

Learn more with +Plus

• Recent and Recommended {{#preferredDictionaries}} {{name}} {{/preferredDictionaries}}
• Definitions Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English English Learner’s Dictionary Essential British English Essential American English
• Grammar and thesaurus Usage explanations of natural written and spoken English Grammar Thesaurus
• Pronunciation British and American pronunciations with audio English Pronunciation
• English–Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Simplified)–English
• English–Chinese (Traditional) Chinese (Traditional)–English
• English–Dutch Dutch–English
• English–French French–English
• English–German German–English
• English–Indonesian Indonesian–English
• English–Italian Italian–English
• English–Japanese Japanese–English
• English–Norwegian Norwegian–English
• English–Polish Polish–English
• English–Portuguese Portuguese–English
• English–Spanish Spanish–English
• English–Swedish Swedish–English
• Dictionary +Plus Word Lists
• Learner’s Dictionary    Noun
• Translations
• All translations

To add synthesis to a word list please sign up or log in.

Add synthesis to one of your lists below, or create a new one.

{{message}}

Something went wrong.

There was a problem sending your report.

• Dictionaries home
• American English
• Collocations
• German-English
• Grammar home
• Practical English Usage
• Learn & Practise Grammar (Beta)
• Word Lists home
• My Word Lists
• Recent additions
• Resources home
• Text Checker

Definition of synthesis noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

• synthesis of A with B the synthesis of art with everyday life
• synthesis of A and B a synthesis of traditional and modern values

Want to learn more?

Find out which words work together and produce more natural-sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app. Try it for free as part of the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.