Meaning & use
systemic
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Affecting a whole system, organization or society rather than only one part of it.
Grammar: Often before a noun: systemic problem.
Patterns
- a systemic problem
- systemic change
The report found systemic failures across the whole hospital.
Fixing a systemic problem takes more than replacing one manager.
Critics argue the bias is systemic, not the fault of individuals.
adjectivebefore a nounmedical
Affecting the whole body, not just one organ or area.
Grammar: Used before a noun, often contrasted with local: systemic infection.
Patterns
- systemic infection
- systemic illness
The infection became systemic and spread through the bloodstream.
Systemic diseases can affect the heart, kidneys and skin.
The cream is local, but the tablets act systemic.
adjectivebefore a nountechnical
Absorbed into the plant's tissues so that it protects the whole plant, said of pesticides.
Grammar: Used before a noun: systemic pesticide.
Patterns
- systemic pesticide
- systemic weedkiller
A systemic pesticide travels through the plant's sap.
Farmers used a systemic fungicide to protect the crop.
Systemic weedkillers kill the root as well as the leaves.
Word forms
| comparative | more systemic |
|---|---|
| superlative | most systemic |
Common combinations
- systemic problem
- Delays are a systemic problem across the network.
- systemic racism
- The speaker discussed systemic racism in housing.
- systemic risk
- Regulators worry about systemic risk in banking.
- systemic infection
- A systemic infection requires strong antibiotics.
- systemic change
- Real progress requires systemic change.
Synonyms and how they differ
- widespread
- Widespread describes how common something is, while systemic says it is built into the structure.
- institutional
- Institutional ties a problem to specific organizations, whereas systemic can apply to any whole system including the body.
- structural
- Structural stresses the way something is built, while systemic stresses that the whole system is affected.
- pervasive
- Pervasive means spreading through everything but does not say the cause lies in the system.
Opposites
Word family
- system noun
- a set of connected parts working together
- systemically adverb
- in a way that affects a whole system
- systematic adjective
- done according to a fixed plan
- systemize verb
- to arrange in an organized system
Commonly confused: systemic or systematic?
systemic vs systematic
Systematic means done in an organized, step-by-step way, while systemic means affecting a whole system.
Practice
The audit showed the delays were not caused by one careless employee but by a ______ flaw in how the whole process was designed.
Choose one answer.
Systemic means built into the whole system. Systematic means methodical, a tempting lookalike with a different meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “systemic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.