Basic Details
Word: Synthesis
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: The combining of separate parts or ideas into a whole. In chemistry, it is the making of a substance from simpler ones.
Synonyms: combination, blend, fusion
Antonyms: analysis, separation
How to Spell Synthesis
Syllables: syn - the - sis
Tricky part: The middle vowel is e (the), and the ending is sis. Students write synthisis or sinthesis. The plural is syntheses.
Watch out for: synthisis, sinthesis, synthasis, synthesys
Memory tip: Syn + thesis. A thesis is a long piece of writing with one big idea; a synthesis puts several ideas together into one.
Usage Examples
Example 1: Her speech was a synthesis of everything we had discussed in class.
Example 2: In the lab, students learnt about the synthesis of aspirin.
Example 3: The band's fusion music is a synthesis of classical ragas and jazz.
Fun Fact
Photosynthesis means putting together with light: green plants use sunlight to build sugar from water and carbon dioxide.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Insert the correct letters to form a word:
synth_s_s
a) a, i
b) i, i
c) e, i
d) i, e
Show answer
c) e, i. Thesis sits inside the word, so it is the-sis.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word 'synthesis' as used in the sentence:
The report was a careful synthesis of ideas from doctors, teachers and parents.
a) combination
b) fusion
c) blend
d) analysis
Show answer
d) analysis. Combination, blend and fusion are close to synthesis; analysis means breaking something into its parts.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence and choose the word they make:
In science we learnt how cells carry out the ihsssenty of proteins.
a) genesis
b) synopsis
c) synthesis
d) synthetic
Show answer
c) synthesis. Synopsis needs an o and p, synthetic a c, and genesis a g, none of which the jumble has.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Synthetic fabrics such as nylon are ____.
a) picked from cotton plants
b) spun by silkworms
c) grown in fields on farms
d) made through chemical processes
Show answer
d) made through chemical processes
2. In chemistry, the synthesis of a compound means ____.
a) making it from simpler substances
b) heating it until it melts
c) measuring how heavy it is
d) breaking it into its elements
Show answer
a) making it from simpler substances
