What does synthetic mean?
Synthetic describes something made by chemical synthesis or industrial manufacture rather than occurring naturally. The term is commonly applied to materials, fibers, chemicals, medicines, fuels, and data, and it often emphasizes deliberate human production rather than accidental discovery or natural formation. In more figurative contexts, synthetic can describe an artificial expression that imitates a natural human quality, such as a synthetic smile or synthetic warmth. This use may carry a faintly critical implication that the emotion or behavior is performed rather than spontaneous. Linguistics has a separate technical meaning: a synthetic language expresses grammatical relationships largely by changing the forms of individual words. The word is standard in both British and American English and is broadly understandable, though “manufactured” or “artificial” can be more specific depending on the subject. Synthetic is especially useful in scientific and technological contexts where distinguishing human-made substances from naturally occurring ones matters.
Made by chemical synthesis or industrial manufacture rather than occurring naturally; artificial or formally constructed.
"Synthetic fertilizers can provide plants with nutrients more rapidly than some organic alternatives."
The figurative use may imply convincing imitation rather than simple inferiority. In linguistics, it refers to languages that chiefly mark grammatical relationships through inflection.
A substance or material produced by chemical synthesis rather than extracted from a natural source.
"The laboratory developed a synthetic that reproduces the structure of the naturally occurring compound."
This noun sense is less common than the adjective and is now chiefly found in scientific and technical contexts.
The plural is rare; singular “synthetic” is usually preferred for an individual substance, while “synthetic materials” or a more specific plural is often clearer for several substances.
"The researchers compared several synthetics with compounds obtained from natural sources."
Synthetic ultimately means “put together”: the word comes from a Greek root associated with combining elements into a new whole.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does synthetic come from?
The word comes through Latin from Greek synthetikos, meaning “combining” or “putting together.” Its underlying elements relate to placing or setting together, the same idea found in English words such as synthesis and synthesize. English adopted the word in the context of chemical manufacture before it acquired broader figurative and linguistic uses.
Related word forms
How synthetic is actually used
In everyday use, synthetic most often contrasts manufactured products with naturally occurring ones. It can also suggest imitation, especially when describing a smile, emotion, or conversation. In linguistics, “synthetic language” is a technical category, not a comment on artificiality.
Easily confused with synthetic
Synthetic is an adjective describing something made artificially, while synthesis is a noun referring to the process of combining substances or ideas into a new whole.
Synthetic can mean manufactured or formally constructed, whereas systematic means organized according to a deliberate method or regular procedure.