of, pertaining to, proceeding by, or involving synthesis (opposed to analytic).
noting or pertaining to compounds formed through a chemical process by human agency, as opposed to those of natural origin: synthetic vitamins; synthetic fiber.
(of a language) characterized by a relatively widespread use of affixes, rather than separate words, to express syntactic relationships: Latin is a synthetic language, while English is analytic.Compare analytic (def. 3), polysynthetic (def. 1).
Also syn·thet·i·cal.Logic. of or relating to a noncontradictory proposition in which the predicate is not included in, or entailed by, the subject.
not real or genuine; artificial; feigned: a synthetic chuckle at a poor joke.
Jewelry.
noting a gem mineral manufactured so as to be physically, chemically, and optically identical with the mineral as found in nature.
(not in technical use) noting a gem mineral manufactured and pigmented in imitation of a natural gemstone of that name.
noun
something made by a synthetic, or chemical, process.
synthetics.
substances or products made by chemical synthesis, as plastics or artificial fibers.
the science or industry concerned with such products.
Origin of synthetic
1690–1700; <New Latin syntheticus<Greek synthetikós, equivalent to synthet(ós) placed together, verbid of syntithénai to put together (syn-syn- + the-, stem of tithénai to put, place + -tos verbid suffix) + -ikos-ic
Another client is an Ohio-based manufacturer of cotton swabs that is replacing the cotton with a synthetic equivalent in order to make nasal testing swabs uncontaminated by the plant fiber’s DNA.
Unmade in America|Tate Ryan-Mosley|August 14, 2020|MIT Technology Review
The team hopes their new cotton plants might eventually be grown widely and made into clothes, helping to displace the toxic dyes and synthetic materials used by the fashion industry.
Scientists Gene-Hack Cotton Plants to Make Them Every Color of the Rainbow|Jason Dorrier|August 11, 2020|Singularity Hub
All he needed was a long, two-dimensional chain—natural or synthetic—and the chain should fold itself automatically, similar to how it folds into the double helix inside our bodies.
How Fake Viruses Can Help Us Make the Best Possible Vaccines|Shelly Fan|July 7, 2020|Singularity Hub
Because the smell was completely synthetic, though, researchers could mess with it.
How to make a mouse smell a smell that doesn’t actually exist|Laura Sanders|June 18, 2020|Science News
The fully synthetic nature of the Arkansas team’s technology could thus have a leg up on biologically-based approaches.
Artificial Kidneys Are a Step Closer With This New Tech|Vanessa Bates Ramirez|June 3, 2020|Singularity Hub
One key ingredient of the stuff: Propylene glycol, a synthetic liquid that absorbs water.
Europeans Recall Fireball Whiskey Over a Sweetener Also Used in Antifreeze|Tim Mak|October 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Illinois legislation does not include bioplastics like PHA, defining the banned microplastics to be of the synthetic type.
Your Favorite Facewash Is Hurting Nemo|Alexa C. Kurzius|June 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But the arguments over drug testing may cease to matter if the synthetic drug epidemic continues.
Are We Addicted to Drug Testing?|Abby Haglage|May 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
With more than 300 synthetic cannabinoids in use today, drug-testing companies are struggling to keep up with the new varieties.
Are We Addicted to Drug Testing?|Abby Haglage|May 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Scientists at the Scripps Research Institute produced the first living organism with synthetic bacteria this May.
Synthetic DNA: The New Drug Makers?|Elizabeth Lopatto|May 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was made of synthetic fabrics like silks, loose and comfortable trousers of knee length, and sleeveless shirts.
Armageddon--2419 A.D.|Philip Francis Nowlan
The vegetation is inedible, all of our food is synthetic and highly concentrated.
The Copper-Clad World|Harl Vincent
The way you tell a synthetic ruby from a natural ruby is to look for flaws.
A World by the Tale|Gordon Randall Garrett
What synthetic formula will be best able to tell us the essential direction of its movement?
A New Philosophy: Henri Bergson|Edouard le Roy
Synthetic combination, Kant points out, is formally expressed in a judgment, which is the act of uniting representations.