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synthetic

sin-THET-ik /sɪnˈθetɪk/

adjectiveB2SATTOEFLIELTS

scientificindustrial

Made by chemical synthesis, especially to imitate a natural product; man-made.

In farming, this usually refers to fertilizers and pesticides created in a lab rather than derived from natural sources like compost or minerals.

The story behind the word. From the Greek 'syn' (together) and 'tithenai' (to place). It literally means 'placed together'. It was first used in the 17th century for logic and later for chemistry to describe compounds created by humans.

Word relationships

artificial: Artificial is a more general term; synthetic specifically implies a chemical process of 'putting together'.

organic: Organic materials are derived from living organisms; synthetic ones are manufactured.

Commonly confused with

natural: Natural things occur in nature; synthetic things are created by humans.

Word family

synthesis (noun): The combination of ideas or substances to form a connected whole.
synthesize (verb): To produce a substance by chemical synthesis.

Collocations

synthetic fertilizer
synthetic pesticide
synthetic materials

Example sentences

"The use of synthetic fertilizers has significantly increased crop yields over the last century, but at a cost to soil health." The impact of industrial chemistry on farming.

Memory hook

Think of a 'synthesizer' in music; it creates artificial sounds by 'putting together' electronic signals. Synthetic = Put together by people.

When not to use

In chemistry, 'synthetic' doesn't necessarily mean 'bad', but in the context of organic farming, it is the primary thing to be avoided.

Fun facts

The first synthetic fertilizer was created using the Haber-Bosch process, which pulls nitrogen out of the air using massive amounts of energy.