synthetic
synthetic — 形容詞
1. created in a laboratory through chemical reactions instead of being found in nat
合成的
經由化學程序人工製造的，非天然的
created in a laboratory through chemical reactions instead of being found in nature; commonly describing fabrics, rubbers, and other materials designed to copy natural ones.
Sumin bought a jacket made of synthetic leather instead of real leather.
Sumin 買了一件採用合成皮而非真皮製成的外套。
synthetic + leather / fabric type
Many outdoor jackets use synthetic fibres to keep out wind and rain.
許多戶外夾克使用合成纖維來防風防雨。
The lab developed a synthetic alternative to natural rubber for car tyres.
該實驗室開發出一種合成替代品，取代汽車輪胎用的天然橡膠。
Layla prefers natural cotton over synthetic materials for her summer clothes.
Layla 夏天較偏愛天然棉料，而非合成材質。
Sven checked the label to find out if the blanket was synthetic or wool.
Sven 查看標籤，想知道那條毯子是合成纖維還是羊毛做的。
- artificial
broader term; can refer to anything made by human effort rather than natural
- man-made
more informal; directly contrasts with natural but less precise about chemical origin
- manufactured
emphasises the industrial production process rather than chemical composition
- natural
produced by nature, not by humans
文法句型
synthetic + noun (fabric, material, substance)
用法筆記
Usually appears before a noun describing a product, fabric, or substance. Common collocates include fibres, materials, fabrics, rubber, leather, and chemicals.
常見錯誤
2. not real or natural in a social or emotional sense; created to give an impressio
虛假的
不真實的，刻意偽造的
not real or natural in a social or emotional sense; created to give an impression that is different from the truth.
Otis felt that the manager's enthusiasm at the meeting was synthetic and rehearsed.
Otis 覺得主管在會議上的熱情很虛假，像是事先排練過的。
synthetic + enthusiasm / emotion
The reality show felt synthetic, with every conflict planned by the producers.
那部實境秀給人很假的感覺，每一場衝突都是製作人安排好的。
Emily gave a synthetic smile at the party even though she was exhausted.
Emily 在派對上露出虛假的笑容，儘管她其實累壞了。
Critics called the film's emotional scenes synthetic and hard to believe.
影評人認為該片的感人場面很虛假，令人難以相信。
文法句型
synthetic + noun (emotion, reaction, enthusiasm)
用法筆記
Carries a negative judgement — describes someone's behaviour or a product of human expression as fake. Typically modifies nouns for emotions, social performances, or artistic works.
常見錯誤
3. describing a language where grammar — such as who did something to someone — is
屈折語的
透過詞形變化表達語法關係的
describing a language where grammar — such as who did something to someone — is signalled by adding endings onto existing words, instead of needing separate helper words like prepositions or auxiliary verbs.
Latin is a highly synthetic language where noun endings indicate subject and object roles.
拉丁語是一種高度屈折的語言，名詞詞尾能標示主語和受語的角色。
synthetic + language (linguistic typology)
Professor Hari explained that ancient Greek used synthetic verb forms to show tense and person.
Hari 教授解釋說，古希臘語使用屈折動詞形式來表達時態和人稱。
Unlike English, Turkish is a synthetic language that adds suffixes to express grammatical functions.
與英語不同，土耳其語屬於屈折語，透過後綴來表達語法功能。
Amihan found the synthetic verb system of Finnish challenging because of its many endings.
Amihan 覺得芬蘭語的屈折動詞系統因為變化太多而很難學。
- inflectional
more specific term emphasising the role of inflections; often used interchangeably with synthetic in linguistics
- fusional
refers to a subtype where a single ending carries multiple grammatical meanings at once
- analytic
describing languages that use separate words or word order rather than inflections
文法句型
synthetic + language
highly synthetic
用法筆記
A technical term in linguistics. Synthetic languages are contrasted with analytic (or isolating) languages like Chinese, where word order and separate function words carry grammatical meaning.
4. relating to the approach of bringing together separate ideas, facts, or parts to
綜合的
將不同元素整合為一體的
relating to the approach of bringing together separate ideas, facts, or parts to form a connected whole; used especially in contrast to analytic thinking that breaks things apart.
The philosopher argued that synthetic reasoning brings separate observations into a unified theory.
那位哲學家主張，綜合推理能將零散的觀察結果統整為一套理論。
synthetic + reasoning / thinking (contrast with analytic)
Stephanie wrote a synthetic analysis that combined data from five different research studies.
Stephanie 寫了一份綜合分析，整合了來自五項不同研究的數據。
The course taught students to think in a synthetic way, connecting ideas across different fields.
這門課教學生以綜合的方式思考，連結不同領域的概念。
Obi presented a synthetic view of the problem, drawing on economics, sociology, and history.
Obi 對這個問題提出了綜合性的看法，融入經濟學、社會學和歷史學的觀點。
- integrative
emphasises the act of bringing parts into a whole; common in academic contexts
- combinatory
more technical; stresses the combining of separate elements
- holistic
views something as a whole rather than focusing on individual parts; broader than synthetic
- analytic
breaking things into separate parts for examination
文法句型
synthetic + noun (thinking, approach, analysis, reasoning)
用法筆記
Opposite of analytic in academic and philosophical contexts. A synthetic approach combines findings; an analytic approach breaks a problem into smaller pieces. Often used in academic writing about methodology.
synthetic — 名詞
1. a substance or product created artificially by combining chemical elements, rath
合成物
經化學合成製造的產品
a substance or product created artificially by combining chemical elements, rather than one that occurs in nature.
The factory produces synthetics for use in clothing, packaging, and car parts.
這家工廠生產合成物，用於服飾、包裝和汽車零件。
synthetics (plural) — general category of artificial substances
Rafael argued that nylon was one of the most important early synthetics.
Rafael 主張尼龍是最重要的早期合成物之一。
Many modern synthetics are designed to be more durable than natural materials.
許多現代合成物被設計得比天然材料更耐用。
The chemist developed a new synthetic that breaks down faster in the environment.
那位化學家開發出一種在環境中分解速度更快的新合成物。
Sade tested whether the synthetic could withstand high temperatures without melting.
Sade 測試了那種合成物能否承受高溫而不熔化。
- artificial substance
clearer for general readers but less concise
- chemical compound
broader — includes natural chemicals too
- natural product
something produced by nature
- organic compound
naturally occurring carbon-based substance
文法句型
a synthetic
synthetics (plural)
用法筆記
The noun form is much less common than the adjective. Often appears in the plural (synthetics) to refer to the broad category of artificial materials in industry, manufacturing, or chemistry.