Definition

Relating to the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language.

Example

The syntactic structure of the sentence was complex and difficult to understand.

Conversation

I’ve been reading about syntactic structures in language.

That sounds interesting! What did you find out?

Well, it’s amazing how syntactic rules can change the meaning of a sentence.

Absolutely! Just a small change can make a big difference.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Syntactic → It is formed from "syn-" (meaning together) and "taxis" (from Greek, meaning arrangement). The word "syntactic" refers to the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language.

Memory Tip

Think of words being arranged 'together' ('syn-') in a specific order ('taxis') to form sentences.

Visually Confused Words