synthesis.

1. The combination of distinct ideas or findings into a coherent whole, or the account produced by that combination.

2. The production of a substance by combining or transforming simpler components.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• synthesis of findings
• critical synthesis
• provide a synthesis

On the page

The review offers a synthesis of studies that use very different measures.

A useful synthesis should preserve important disagreements rather than average them away.

The laboratory described a new route for the synthesis of the compound.

Usage notes

Primary category: academic. Academic synthesis shows relationships among sources rather than listing their summaries. Plural syntheses; do not confuse with analysis, which often separates components. Singular: synthesis; plural: syntheses. Derived family (not inflections): synthesize, synthetic.