Synthesis is commonly understood to be an integration of two or more pre-existing elements which results in a new creation. The term is broad in meaning and can apply to physical, ideological, and/or phenomenological entities. In dialectics, synthesis is the final result of attempts to reconcile the inherent contradiction between thesis and antithesis. Along with the similar concept of integration, synthesis is generally considered to be an important element of modern philosophy, particularly in the various emerging ideas often considered to be 'holistic' (as opposed to 'reductionistic').

In chemistry, chemical synthesis is the process of forming a particular molecule from chemical precursors.

In electronic musical instruments, sound synthesis is the method of sound generation a piece of hardware or software may employ, E.g. "My lovely Access Virus B mainly uses subtractive synthesis but it's got a bit of FM synthesis too."

See also

• Dialectical monism
• analysis