synthetic

/sɪnˈθɛdɪk/

/sɪnˈθɛtɪk/

Other forms: synthetics

Something made of artificial material, not natural items, can be described as synthetic. Some football stadiums have synthetic grass, and a leisure suit from the 1970s might be made of synthetic fabric.

The adjective synthetic usually describes things created by chemical synthesis (synthetic compound, synthetic drug, synthetic material), but it sometimes describes an emotion that is feigned or not genuine. A person who exudes only synthetic friendliness probably isn't someone you want to hang out with, for example.

Definitions of synthetic

1. noun

   a compound made artificially by chemical reactions
   synonyms: synthetic substance

   types:

   Plasticine

   a synthetic material resembling clay but remaining soft; used as a substitute for clay or wax in modeling (especially in schools)

   phosphor

   a synthetic substance that is fluorescent or phosphorescent; used to coat the screens of cathode ray tubes

   rubber, synthetic rubber

   any of various synthetic elastic materials whose properties resemble natural rubber

   silicone rubber

   made from silicone elastomers; retains flexibility resilience and tensile strength over a wide temperature range

   neoprene

   a synthetic rubber that is resistant to oils and aging; used in waterproof products

   buna, buna rubber

   made by polymerizing butadiene

   butyl rubber

   synthetic rubber made by polymerizing isobutylene

   type of:

   chemical compound, compound

   (chemistry) a substance formed by chemical union of two or more elements or ingredients in definite proportion by weight
2. adjective

   not genuine or natural
   “"counterfeit rhetoric that flourishes when passions are synthetic"- George Will”

   synonyms:

   counterfeit, imitative

   not genuine; imitating something superior
3. adjective

   not of natural origin; prepared or made artificially
   “synthetic leather”

   synonyms: man-made, semisynthetic

   artificial, unreal

   contrived by art rather than nature
4. adjective

   involving or of the nature of synthesis (combining separate elements to form a coherent whole) as opposed to analysis
   “"limnology is essentially a synthetic science composed of elements...that extend well beyond the limits of biology"- P.S.Welch”

   synonyms: synthetical

   antonyms:

   analytic

   using or skilled in using analysis (i.e., separating a whole--intellectual or substantial--into its elemental parts or basic principles)
5. adjective

   systematic combining of root and modifying elements into single words
   synonyms:

   agglutinative, polysynthetic

   forming derivative or compound words by putting together constituents each of which expresses a single definite meaning

   antonyms:

   analytic

   expressing a grammatical category by using two or more words rather than inflection

   isolating

   relating to or being a language in which each word typically expresses a distinct idea and part of speech and syntactical relations are determined almost exclusively by word order and particles
6. adjective

   artificial as if portrayed in a film
   synonyms: celluloid

   artificial, unreal

   contrived by art rather than nature
7. adjective

   of a proposition whose truth value is determined by observation or facts
   synonyms: synthetical

   a posteriori

   involving reasoning from facts or particulars to general principles or from effects to causes

   inductive

   of reasoning; proceeding from particular facts to a general conclusion

   logical

   capable of or reflecting the capability for correct and valid reasoning

   antonyms:

   analytic

   of a proposition that is necessarily true independent of fact or experience

   a priori

   involving deductive reasoning from a general principle to a necessary effect; not supported by fact

   deductive

   involving inferences from general principles

   logical

   capable of or reflecting the capability for correct and valid reasoning