Meaning & use

systemic

adjective·Academic

Relating to or affecting an entire system, rather than one isolated part of it.

See it in a sentence

Auditors identified systemic problems in how the agency handled complaints.

The infection had become systemic, spreading through the patient's bloodstream.

A note on using this word

In medicine it contrasts with 'local,' and in social contexts it distinguishes deep, structural problems from a single bad incident.

Words with a similar meaning

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

isolatedlocalized

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