synthetic
artificial, not naturally occurring
Made by people in a factory or lab, not taken directly from nature.
synthetic [material/substance]
- These shoes are made from synthetic leather instead of real animal skin.
- Many athletes prefer synthetic fabrics that dry quickly and breathe well.
- The company is developing a synthetic fuel to replace gasoline.
- Synthetic rubber is widely used in car tires.
- Some people are allergic to synthetic chemicals in perfumes.
- This jacket is synthetic, not real leather.
- The shirt is made of synthetic fiber.
- She wants a rug made from natural wool, not synthetic material.
- Synthetic carpets are usually cheaper than wool ones.
- I try to avoid foods with too many synthetic colors.
man-made fabric or material
A material like cloth or fiber that people make in a factory, not something natural like cotton or wool.
wear [synthetics]
- In hot weather, some people find synthetics less comfortable than cotton.
- This sports shirt is a mix of synthetics and natural fibers.
- The label says to wash synthetics in cold water only.
- He prefers synthetics because they are easier to care for.
- The skirt feels like silk, but it's actually a synthetic.
- I do not like synthetics in summer.
- These pants are synthetics, not cotton.
- The dress is made from a soft synthetic.
- Some synthetics dry very fast.
- She wears synthetics for running.
insincere or fake in feeling
Not real or honest; used when a person only seems friendly or kind but does not really feel that way.
synthetic [emotion/behavior]
- He gave me a synthetic smile and quickly looked away.
- Her praise sounded synthetic, as if she didn't really mean it.
- There was a synthetic warmth in his voice that made me distrust him.
- The host's synthetic enthusiasm made the show feel uncomfortable.
- Guests complained about the hotel's synthetic friendliness toward customers.
- His smile was synthetic and cold.
- Her laugh sounded synthetic to me.
- I do not like his synthetic charm.
- The apology was synthetic, not real.
- Their interest in us felt synthetic.
involving chemical synthesis
Made or studied by joining simple chemicals together to build more complex ones, usually in a lab or factory.
synthetic [compound/process/method]
- The team developed a new synthetic route to the drug molecule.
- Synthetic organic chemistry has made many life-saving medicines possible.
- We compared the natural product with its synthetic equivalent.
- Optimizing the synthetic pathway reduced the cost of production.
- The researchers reported improved yields under mild synthetic conditions.
- This medicine is a synthetic version of a plant chemical.
- They work on synthetic methods in an organic chemistry lab.
- The company sells both natural and synthetic vitamins.
- A new synthetic pathway made the drug cheaper.
- We study synthetic routes to complex molecules.
proposition true by how world is
Used in philosophy to talk about a sentence that is true or false because of real things in the world, not only because of the meaning of the words.
synthetic [proposition/judgment/truth]
- "The cat is on the mat" is a standard example of a synthetic proposition.
- Kant's distinction between analytic and synthetic judgments is central to modern philosophy.
- They argue that moral claims are synthetic rather than analytic truths.
- The course begins with the classic analytic–synthetic debate.
- Some philosophers question whether synthetic a priori knowledge is possible.
- In logic class we talked about synthetic and analytic sentences.
- A synthetic statement needs facts about the world to check if it is true.
- "All bachelors are lonely" would be a synthetic claim, not an analytic one.
- Many students find the analytic–synthetic difference hard to understand.
- We learned that some math claims might be synthetic a priori.
language with many inflections
Used for a type of language where one word often has many endings or parts that show grammar, like tense or case.
synthetic [language/structure]
- Latin is often cited as a highly synthetic language.
- They compared analytic and synthetic languages in terms of word length.
- Over time, English has become less synthetic and more analytic.
- The course covers morphological typology, including isolating and synthetic languages.
- Synthetic structures pack a lot of grammatical information into a single word.
- Russian is a synthetic language with many case endings.
- Old English was more synthetic than modern English.
- Some languages are analytic, and some are synthetic.
- In a synthetic language, one word can have many endings.
- We studied synthetic and analytic language types.
non-analytic, axiomatic geometry style
Used in math, especially geometry, for proofs and ideas that use shapes, diagrams, and basic rules, not numbers and equations.
synthetic [geometry/proof]
- The course focuses on synthetic geometry rather than coordinate methods.
- They gave a purely synthetic proof of the theorem.
- Euclid's Elements is a classic work of synthetic geometry.
- Some students prefer synthetic approaches to visualize geometric facts.
- The analytic and synthetic treatments lead to the same result.
- We studied synthetic geometry in class.
- The teacher showed a synthetic proof without using numbers.
- Analytic and synthetic methods can give the same answer.
- Synthetic geometry uses lines and circles, not coordinates.
- He enjoys the synthetic style of Euclid.
- Base: synthetic
- Base: synthetic
- Plural: synthetics
synthetic biology
1field designing new biological systems
A part of science where people design and build new living systems or parts of cells, often by changing DNA.
- She is doing her PhD in synthetic biology.
- Synthetic biology could help create bacteria that clean pollution.
- There are ethical debates about how far synthetic biology should go.
synthetic drug
1chemically made drug
A medicine or illegal drug that people make in a lab using chemicals, not taken directly from a plant or other natural source.
- The new treatment uses a synthetic drug that is easier to produce.
- Police seized large amounts of a dangerous synthetic drug.
- Many modern painkillers are synthetic drugs rather than plant extracts.
synthetic fabric
1cloth from man-made fibers
Cloth that is made from man-made fibers like polyester or acrylic, not from natural fibers like cotton or wool.
- She prefers natural materials and avoids synthetic fabric whenever possible.
- Synthetic fabric is lightweight and easy to wash.
- The curtains are made of a flame-resistant synthetic fabric.
synthetic fiber
1man-made textile fiber
A thin, thread-like material made in a factory and used to make cloth, such as polyester or nylon.
- This shirt is made from a synthetic fiber that dries very quickly.
- Synthetic fibers are often cheaper than natural ones like cotton or wool.
- The company is developing a new synthetic fiber for sportswear.
synthetic fragrance
1artificially made scent
A smell used in perfumes, soaps, or cleaners that is made from chemicals in a lab, not taken directly from flowers, fruits, or other natural things.
- The lotion contains both natural oils and synthetic fragrances.
- Some people are sensitive to synthetic fragrance in cleaning products.
- The brand advertises its perfumes as free from synthetic fragrances.
synthetic fuel
1artificially produced fuel
Fuel for cars, planes, or power stations that is made in factories from things like coal, natural gas, or captured CO₂ instead of taken from crude oil.
- The company is investing in synthetic fuels for aviation.
- Synthetic fuel could help reduce dependence on oil.
- New plants will turn captured carbon into synthetic fuel.
synthetic leather
1artificial leather-like material
A man-made material that looks like real leather but does not come from animals.
- These boots are made of synthetic leather, not real leather.
- Synthetic leather is often used in car seats and bags.
- Some people choose synthetic leather for animal-rights reasons.
synthetic material
1artificially produced substance
Any kind of thing, like plastic, rubber, or cloth, that people make in factories instead of taking directly from nature.
- The furniture is made from durable synthetic materials.
- Many everyday products now use synthetic materials instead of wood or metal.
- This jacket combines natural wool and a synthetic material for extra strength.
synthetic rubber
1man-made rubber material
A stretchy material made in factories that is used instead of or together with natural rubber.
- Most modern car tires are made from synthetic rubber.
- Synthetic rubber was developed when natural rubber became hard to get.
- The lab tested a new type of synthetic rubber for extreme temperatures.
synthetic speech
1computer-generated voice output
Spoken words that a computer or machine creates, not a real human voice.
- Modern navigation systems use very natural-sounding synthetic speech.
- Researchers are working to make synthetic speech more expressive.
- The device reads text out loud using synthetic speech.