What does synthetic mean?
Word: Synthetic
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Synthetic means made by people using chemicals, rather than grown or found in the earth.
Synonyms: man-made
How do you spell synthetic?
Syllables: syn - thet - ic
Tricky part: After the s comes a y, not an i, even though the sound is the short i of sit.
Watch out for: sinthetic, senthetic, sunthetic
Memory tip: Picture a factory spinning yarn, and let the y of yarn sit right after the s.
Synthetic in a sentence
Example 1: My sports jersey is synthetic and weighs almost nothing.
Example 2: Many carpets today are woven from synthetic yarn.
Example 3: Factories make synthetic rubber for car tyres.
Fun Fact
The first fully synthetic plastic, Bakelite, was invented by Leo Baekeland in 1907, and many old radios and telephones were made from it.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word synthetic as used in the sentence:
Ajay's new raincoat is made from a synthetic fabric that keeps out the heaviest rain.
a) artificial
b) imitation
c) manufactured
d) natural
Show answer
d) natural. A natural material such as cotton or wool comes from plants or animals.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the word in the sentence and choose it:
Modern running tracks are laid with a hectynits surface that stays firm in the rain.
a) sarcastic
b) symbolic
c) sympathetic
d) synthetic
Show answer
d) synthetic. With two t letters, an h and no m or p here, only one word can be built.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
The science teacher passed round samples of cotton, wool, silk and synthatic thread so that each group in the laboratory could compare how strongly they stretched.
a) synthatic
b) samples
c) laboratory
d) stretched
Show answer
a) synthatic. The vowel after the th is an e, as in the word then.
Spell-o-Spell
Three of these words are spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of the one that is misspelt.
1. synthetic 2. nostalgia 3. jubilent 4. fragile
a) produced in a factory by chemical means
b) full of joy after a success
c) easily broken or damaged
d) a warm longing for the past
Show answer
b) full of joy after a success. Jubilant takes an a before its final nt, so jubilent is wrong.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these is most likely to be synthetic?
a) a polyester shirt
b) a jute sack
c) a wooden spoon
d) a woollen shawl
Show answer
a) a polyester shirt
2. Why might a shoe maker choose synthetic leather?
a) No animal hide goes into making it.
b) It is tanned from fine goat skin.
c) It is sewn from soft sheep wool.
d) It is cut only from cattle hide.
Show answer
a) No animal hide goes into making it.
