synthetic

The word “synthetic” means made by chemical or industrial synthesis rather than occurring naturally, though it may closely match a natural equivalent. In plain terms, artificially made rather than natural — often used for fabrics, chemicals, and materials that imitate a natural original.

“Synthetic” is pronounced sihn-THEH-tihk (/sɪnˈθɛtɪk/ in IPA).

Here is “synthetic” used in a sentence: “The jacket is made from a synthetic fabric rather than real leather.”

Depending on how it is used, “synthetic” can be an adjective and a noun.

The word “synthetic” comes from Ancient Greek. From French synthétique, from Ancient Greek sunthetikos, related to "synthesis.".

“Synthetic” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the C1 level.

“Synthetic” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: made by chemical or industrial synthesis rather than occurring naturally, though it may closely match a natural equivalent.

"Synthetic" describes materials made by chemical or industrial synthesis, while "natural" describes materials that occur on their own in nature. A synthetic fabric like polyester is manufactured, whereas a natural fabric like cotton or wool comes directly from plants or animals.

The two overlap, but "synthetic" stresses that something was produced by combining chemicals or materials, often to match a natural equivalent, while "artificial" stresses that something is man-made or imitates the real thing. Synthetic rubber is chemically built to work like natural rubber; artificial flowers merely look like real ones.

Not necessarily. In its main sense, "synthetic" is a neutral, technical term meaning made by synthesis, and synthetic materials can outperform natural ones. It only carries a negative "fake" or "not genuine" sense when used figuratively, as in "a synthetic smile."