syndicated

SIN-dih-kay-tid /ˈsɪn.dɪ.keɪ.t̬ɪd/
adjectiveverbB2SATIELTS
generaljournalistic

Published or broadcast simultaneously through multiple independent news outlets, newspapers, or stations.

Describes content sold by a central agency or syndicate to multiple independent buyers across regions.

The story behind the word. Traces back to Greek 'syndikos', meaning an advocate or representative standing 'together in justice'. In 19th-century France and America, business groups formed 'syndicates' to share costs, leading to media agencies sharing content across multiple regional presses.

Word relationships

  • distributed: Distributed is a general term for spreading material; syndicated implies commercial licensing to multiple media outlets.
  • licensed: Licensed refers to legal usage rights; syndicated specifically describes broadcast/print distribution networks.
  • exclusive: Restricted to a single publication or television channel.

Commonly confused with

  • syndicate: Syndicate is the noun (agency/group) or verb; syndicated is the adjective describing the distributed content.

Word family

  • syndicate (noun/verb): An agency that distributes content to multiple media outlets.
  • syndication (noun): The licensing of content for distribution across multiple channels.

Collocations

  • nationally syndicated
  • syndicated column
  • syndicated broadcast
  • syndicated news

Example sentences

  • "Her syndicated column appeared in over two hundred regional newspapers across the country every Sunday morning." Publishing
  • "Charles Schulz's Peanuts strip became one of the most widely syndicated comic features in journalism history." Media History

Memory hook

SYN-dicated: SYNCHRONIZED distribution of content across multiple stations. Distributed Everywhere

When not to use

Do not use for self-published personal blog posts or local news internal broadcasts.

Fun facts

  • Mark Twain was among the early American authors who realized immense wealth by licensing syndicated travel letters across the nation.

Related words

columnist, op-ed, commentary

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