Syntheticmade by humans instead of occurring naturally usually means made by people rather than found in nature. It can also describe something artificialnot natural; produced or imitated by human skill in a broader sense, or, in logic and philosophy, something built by combiningjoining separate parts or ideas together ideas instead of breaking them apart.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-25. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Pronunciation
AI-generated pronunciation audio (OpenAI).
Accent: General American English
IPA: /sɪnˈθɛtɪk/
Easy pronunciation: sin-THET-ik (approximate spelling).
Stress: Stress falls on the second syllable: THET.
Adjective meaning made by people, not found in nature.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-25. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Synthetic Meaning
made by people, not found in nature
Part of speech: adjective
Definition: not of natural origin; prepared or made artificially
Example: These shoes are made from synthetic materials.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- man-made — Direct everyday substitute for the main sense.
- semisynthetic — Works only for something partly natural and partly artificial, so it is narrower than synthetic.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: uncertain — manual review needed. Checked: 2026-10-25. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Other Meanings of Synthetic
Meaning 2
too staged or fake-looking
Part of speech: adjective
Definition: artificial as if portrayed in a film
Example: The dialogue sounded synthetic and unreal.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- celluloid — Used figuratively for something film-like or artificial, but it is not a general everyday synonym.
Meaning 3
based on combining parts into a whole
Part of speech: adjective
Definition: involving or of the nature of synthesis (combining separate elements to form a coherent whole) as opposed to analysis
Example: The course takes a synthetic approach to the subject.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- synthetical — A close variant of the same sense, but rarer and more formal.
Meaning 4
an artificial chemical compound
Part of speech: noun
Definition: a compound made artificially by chemical reactions
Example: The lab produced a new synthetic for testing.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- synthetic substance — A descriptive near-equivalent, but not a tight one-word substitute.
Meaning 5
true or false because of facts, not just meaning
Part of speech: adjective
Definition: of a proposition whose truth value is determined by observation or facts
Example: "All men are arrogant" is a synthetic proposition.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- synthetical — Used in the same technical philosophical sense.
Meaning 6
fake or unnatural
Part of speech: adjective
Definition: not genuine or natural
Example: There was something synthetic about his smile.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: inaccurate — correction needed. Checked: 2026-10-25. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Synthetic Synonyms
Similar Meaning
- man-made
artificial as if portrayed in a film
- celluloid
involving or of the nature of synthesis
- synthetical
a compound made artificially by chemical reactions
- synthetic substance
of a proposition whose truth value is determined by observation or facts
- synthetical
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: inaccurate — correction needed. Checked: 2026-10-25. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Common Mistakes
- Using synthetic to mean exactly the same as artificial in every context. It often does, but not always.
- Mixing up synthetic (made artificially) with synthetic as a logic/philosophy term.
- Treating celluloid as a normal synonym for synthetic outside its film-related sense.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-25. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does synthetic mean in everyday English?
In everyday English, synthetic usually means made by people rather than found in nature.
What are the best synonyms for synthetic?
For the main sense, man-made is the closest everyday synonym. Other senses need different words, such as synthetical in technical philosophy or celluloid in a film-related figurative sense.
Is synthetic the same as artificial?
Often, yes. But synthetic usually emphasizes that something is manufactured or composed rather than natural.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-25. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.