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synthetic

Something made of artificial material, not natural items, can be described as synthetic. Football stadiums have synthetic grass, just as many aging actresses have synthetic body parts.

The adjective synthetic usually describes things created by chemical synthesis (synthetic compound, synthetic drug, synthetic material), but it sometimes describes an emotion that is feigned or not genuine. A person who exudes only synthetic friendliness probably isn't someone you want to hang out with, for example.

PRIMARY MEANINGS OF: synthetic

1
 nadj
a compound made artificially by chemical reactions
not genuine or natural
2
 adj
of a proposition whose truth value is determined by observation or facts
FULL DEFINITIONS OF: synthetic
1

n a compound made artificially by chemical reactions

Synonyms:
synthetic substance
Types:
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Plasticine
a synthetic material resembling clay but remaining soft; used as a substitute for clay or wax in modeling (especially in schools)
phosphor
a synthetic substance that is fluorescent or phosphorescent; used to coat the screens of cathode ray tubes
rubber, synthetic rubber
any of various synthetic elastic materials whose properties resemble natural rubber
silicone rubber
made from silicone elastomers; retains flexibility resilience and tensile strength over a wide temperature range
neoprene
a synthetic rubber that is resistant to oils and aging; used in waterproof products
buna, buna rubber
made by polymerizing butadiene
butyl rubber
synthetic rubber made by polymerizing isobutylene
Type of:
chemical compound, compound
(chemistry) a substance formed by chemical union of two or more elements or ingredients in definite proportion by weight

adj not genuine or natural

“"counterfeit rhetoric that flourishes when passions are synthetic"- George Will”
Synonyms
counterfeit, imitative
not genuine; imitating something superior

adj not of natural origin; prepared or made artificially

“synthetic leather”
Synonyms:
man-made, semisynthetic
artificial, unreal
contrived by art rather than nature

adj involving or of the nature of synthesis (combining separate elements to form a coherent whole) as opposed to analysis

“"limnology is essentially a synthetic science composed of elements...that extend well beyond the limits of biology"- P.S.Welch”
Synonyms:
synthetical
Antonyms:
analytic, analytical
using or skilled in using analysis (i.e., separating a whole--intellectual or substantial--into its elemental parts or basic principles)

adj systematic combining of root and modifying elements into single words

Synonyms
agglutinative, polysynthetic
forming derivative or compound words by putting together constituents each of which expresses a single definite meaning
Antonyms:
analytic, uninflected
expressing a grammatical category by using two or more words rather than inflection
isolating
relating to or being a language in which each word typically expresses a distinct idea and part of speech and syntactical relations are determined almost exclusively by word order and particles
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adj artificial as if portrayed in a film

Synonyms:
celluloid
artificial, unreal
contrived by art rather than nature
2

adj of a proposition whose truth value is determined by observation or facts

“`all men are arrogant' is a synthetic proposition”
Synonyms:
synthetical
a posteriori
involving reasoning from facts or particulars to general principles or from effects to causes
inductive
of reasoning; proceeding from particular facts to a general conclusion
logical
capable of or reflecting the capability for correct and valid reasoning
Antonyms:
analytic, analytical
of a proposition that is necessarily true independent of fact or experience
a priori
involving deductive reasoning from a general principle to a necessary effect; not supported by fact
deductive
involving inferences from general principles
logical
capable of or reflecting the capability for correct and valid reasoning
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