Synchronicity (sin-kruh-NISS-uh-tee)
Category:
Mind & Self
Origin
Popularized as a psychological concept by Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, who developed the idea during the first half of the 20th century and publicly elaborated it in his 1952 work Synchronicity: An Acausal Connecting Principle. The word is built from synchronic, ultimately from Greek syn- “together” and chronos “time.”
Language Root
Greek-derived — syn- “together” + chronos “time,” through synchronous/synchronic.
Original Meaning
In Jung’s usage, the occurrence of meaningfully connected events without an apparent causal relationship—what is often summarized as a “meaningful coincidence.”
Evolution Over Time
Jung used synchronicity to explore coincidences that seemed psychologically meaningful despite lacking an identifiable cause-and-effect connection. The concept later spread beyond analytical psychology into philosophy, spirituality, popular culture, and everyday discussions of seemingly remarkable coincidences.
Modern Usage
A meaningful or striking coincidence between events, especially when their connection seems significant despite no obvious causal explanation.
Word Family
Synchronize, Synchronous, Synchrony, Synchronic, Synchronicity
Related Concept
Carl Jung, Meaningful Coincidence, Analytical Psychology, Causality, Chance, Serendipity, Probability, Pattern Recognition, Meaning, Connection
Narrative
Have you ever thought about someone—and seconds later they called? Carl Jung became fascinated by experiences in which events appeared connected by meaning rather than ordinary cause and effect. He called the principle synchronicity. The word literally carries the idea of things occurring “together in time,” but Jung gave it a deeper psychological interpretation. Today people use it for those uncanny moments when coincidence feels almost too meaningful to dismiss—whether understood psychologically, spiritually, statistically, or simply as chance.