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synergize

SIN-er-jahyz /ˈsɪnəɹdʒaɪz/

verbC1GMATCAT

corporatemarketing

To combine or work together in a way that produces an effect greater than the sum of their individual parts.

Focuses on the exponential result of collaboration, where the final output is far superior to what individuals could do alone.

The story behind the word. The word comes from the Greek 'synergos', meaning 'working together'. For centuries, 'synergy' was a theological term describing the cooperation of human will and divine grace. It was popularized in its modern corporate, secular sense in the late 20th century.

Word relationships

harmonize: Harmonize emphasizes peace and lack of conflict, whereas synergize emphasizes productivity and enhanced output.

antagonize: Antagonize means to cause actively hostile reactions, working directly against another force.

Commonly confused with

synthesize: Synthesize means to combine different ideas or substances into a new whole, while synergize refers to forces working together for greater impact.

Word family

synergy (noun): The interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects.
synergistic (adjective): Relating to the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations or substances.

Collocations

synergize efforts
synergize resources
synergize teams

Example sentences

"The merger was designed to help the two tech giants synergize their research and development departments." Corporate strategy
"To synergize is to highly value the differences—to respect them, to build on strengths, to compensate for weaknesses." Business literature

Memory hook

Think of 'syn-' (synchronized) + 'energy'. When you synergize, you synchronize your energy for massive results. Synchronized energy creates magic.

When not to use

Avoid using in casual, non-business contexts where simple cooperation is all that is occurring, as it can sound like corporate jargon.

Fun facts

The concept of synergy is highly utilized in pharmacology to describe how two drugs taken together can have a much stronger effect than either drug taken alone.

Related words

symbiotic, coalesce, collaborate

Explore more words

synergy, collaboration, integrate, synthesize, complement, Integration