synoptic

adjective

syn·​op·​tic sə-ˈnäp-tik 

variants or less commonly synoptical

sə-ˈnäp-ti-kəl 

1

: affording a general view of a whole

2

: manifesting or characterized by comprehensiveness or breadth of view

3

: presenting or taking the same or common view

specifically, often capitalized : of or relating to the first three Gospels of the New Testament

4

: relating to or displaying conditions (as of the atmosphere or weather) as they exist simultaneously over a broad area

synoptically

sə-ˈnäp-ti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Examples of synoptic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This verse is from the Gospel of Matthew, one of the three synoptic Gospels in the New Testament of the Bible, and is about the baptism of Jesus Christ — celebrated in the Catholic faith on Jan. 12. —Christine Rousselle, Fox News, 12 Jan. 2025

The verse is from the Gospel of Matthew, one of the three synoptic Gospels in the New Testament. —Christine Rousselle, Fox News, 14 Feb. 2024

These verses come from the Gospel of Matthew, one of the three synoptic Gospels in the New Testament of the Bible. —Christine Rousselle, Fox News, 22 Oct. 2023

Cases using the expertise of forensic meteorologists usually involve looking at precise location weather events, and much of the problem-solving involves knowing what synoptic data is needed to reconstruct the meteorology at a very specific location at some point in the past. —Jim Foerster, Forbes, 15 Aug. 2022

Perhaps by way of coping with likely scant or underdecorated sets, the Braggs use a recurring trope of overhead shots, which create a metaphorical sense of Mr. Sharpe’s synoptic yet distanced overview of his own past. —Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2023

Click on the image to enlarge it to get a dramatic synoptic view. —Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 30 Mar. 2018

To fully grasp their impact, there's no better perspective than the synoptic one available from space. —Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 24 Feb. 2019

In contrast, synoptic scale features have horizontal lengths greater than 1,000 kilometers, while microscale features have widths less than 1 kilometer. —Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 29 May 2018

Word History

Etymology

Greek synoptikos, from synopsesthai

First Known Use

1763, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for synoptic

• preoptic
• coptic
• optic
• supraoptic