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synthetic

sin-THET-ik /sɪnˈθetɪk/

adjectiveB2IELTSTOEFLSAT

generaltechnical

Made by chemical synthesis, especially to imitate a natural product.

Often implies 'man-made' in a laboratory rather than extracted from nature.

The story behind the word. From the Greek 'sun' (together) and 'tithenai' (to place). It literally means 'placed together'. It describes the act of chemists putting different elements together to create a new substance that doesn't exist in that form in nature.

Word relationships

artificial: 'Artificial' often refers to the purpose (imitation), while 'synthetic' refers to the method of creation (chemical synthesis).

natural: Derived directly from plants, animals, or minerals without chemical alteration.

Commonly confused with

processed: Processed food may still use natural ingredients; synthetic food uses lab-created molecules.

Word family

synthesis (noun): The combination of components to form a connected whole.
synthesize (verb): To make something by synthesis.

Collocations

synthetic flavor
synthetic dye
synthetic additive
synthetic compound

Example sentences

"The debate over synthetic versus natural vanilla flavoring continues to influence consumer purchasing habits." Food labeling debate.
"Synthetic dyes are often preferred by manufacturers because they are more stable and vibrant than plant-based colors." Chemical manufacturing.

Memory hook

SYN-thetic is like a SYN-thesizer in music—it's man-made and mimics the real thing. Chemically put together.

When not to use

Do not use for natural substances that have simply been processed; synthetic implies a creation of the molecule itself.

Fun facts

The first synthetic food color, mauveine, was discovered by accident by an 18-year-old chemist trying to cure malaria.
Many 'natural' flavors are chemically identical to synthetic ones; the only difference is the source of the raw material.