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synergistic

(adj): vs. antagonistic), interactive -- (used especially of drugs or muscles that work together so the total effect is greater than the sum of the two (or more)
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2 months ago sionnach said:

Actually, this 'word' belongs not only on the list of words which should be avoided on a first date - it should never be used at all. Especially if you work in a business or corporate setting.

One might think that pharmacologists should be allowed a pass, but they keep using synergism and synergistic in a way that is logically incoherent*.

*: Briefly, the strict definition of synergism involves the notion of local convexity of a particular surface, so it is a local, not a global property. But local convexity is one of those concepts that even mathematicians start to get gnarly about. But think about the shape of the 2-D surface defined by the height of the Rockies as one moves north and east (say) - it will be convex in some places and concave in others. The convexity of Mount Kilimanjaro would presumably be more regularly behaved.

My overall point being that this is a totally skunked term - it has been coopted into meaninglessness by the corpspeak types, but never really had a clear, unambivalent definition to begin with. If your date is impressed by it, find one (a date) with a more demanding mind.



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edwardvielmetti (1230 words)
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