synchronicity

noun

syn·​chro·​nic·​i·​ty ˌsiŋ-krə-ˈni-sə-tē 

ˌsin-

plural synchronicities

1

: the quality or fact of being synchronous

2

: the coincidental occurrence of events and especially psychic events (such as similar thoughts in widely separated persons or a mental image of an unexpected event before it happens) that seem related but are not explained by conventional mechanisms of causality

—used especially in the psychology of Carl Gustav Jung

Did you know?

"It happens to everyone sooner or later: A certain number pops up wherever you go; an old friend you haven't seen in 20 years since high school appears the same day you're looking at her picture in a yearbook; you're singing a song and turn on the radio—and the same song is playing." Such coincidences, here described by Thomas Ropp in The Arizona Republic, March 29,1999, are examples of synchronicity. The concept is linked to the psychology of Carl Jung. Jung didn't coin the word (the "simultaneousness" sense of synchronicity was already in use), but he gave it special importance in his writings. Jung believed that such "meaningful coincidences" play an important role in our lives. Today, some people even look to synchronicities for spiritual guidance.

Examples of synchronicity in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Their comic synchronicity, like that of Mariette Hartley and James Garner in all those Polaroid commercials, made many wonder: Are these two married, or something? —Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 30 Oct. 2024

These had a lot in common with chairs Charles Eames had designed, and when the two first met, they were shocked at their synchronicity (which bonded the designers permanently). —Wendy Goodman, Curbed, 7 Oct. 2024

That uncanny synchronicity, the jolting coincidence of birth and death, changed Bloom’s life, and the trajectory of her work. —Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2024

The group flowed in concert, moving as if underwater, and the synchronicity of the dancers’ movements generated a heaving energy. —Coralie Kraft, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1889, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Medical Definition

synchronicity

noun

syn·​chro·​nic·​i·​ty ˌsiŋ-krə-ˈnis-ət-ē, ˌsin- 

plural synchronicities

: the coincidental occurrence of events and especially psychic events (as similar thoughts in widely separated persons or a mental image of an unexpected event before it happens) that seem related but are not explained by conventional mechanisms of causality

—used especially in the psychology of C. G. Jung