synchronised
SING-kruh-nyzd
/ˈsɪŋkrənaɪzd/
Happening at the same time or speed; specifically, a form of swimming involving elaborate movements performed in unison.
In sports, it almost always refers to 'synchronised swimming' (now artistic swimming) or 'synchronised diving'.
The story behind the word. From the Greek 'syn' (together) and 'chronos' (time). It literally means 'together in time'.
Word relationships
- coordinated: Coordinated means working well together; synchronised means doing the exact same thing at the same time.
- asynchronous: Not happening at the same time.
Commonly confused with
- simultaneous: Simultaneous means at the same time; synchronised means at the same time AND in the same way.
Word family
- synchronise (verb): To cause to occur at the same time.
- synchronisation (noun): The act of synchronising.
Collocations
- synchronised swimming
- synchronised diving
- perfectly synchronised
Example sentences
- "The duo won gold for their perfectly synchronised dive." Sports news
- "The dancers moved in a synchronised fashion to the beat of the drums." General usage
Memory hook
'Sync' your watches! Together in time.
When not to use
Don't use for things that happen by accident; it implies intentional coordination.
Fun facts
- Synchronised swimming was renamed 'Artistic Swimming' by the international federation in 2017.
Explore more words
Synchronous, simultaneous, unison, synchronization, concerted, concurrent
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