HACKER Q&A
📣 samburrowsryde

'Systemic' vs. 'Systematic': which is the correct one?


Systemic describes something that happens or exists throughout a whole system. It is the newer word; it entered English in the early 1800s.

  "He has a systemic infection."

  "The new police chief had to address systemic corruption."
Systematic describes something that was thorough and intentional, methodical, or implemented according to a plan. It is the older word, having entered English around 1670.

  "Doctors began a systematic treatment plan."

  "Ending systematic discrimination was his first goal."

  👤 BLKNSLVR Accepted Answer ✓
They're two different words with two different uses, neither can be called "correct" without providing the context into which it is going to be used.

"The Doctors began a systematic treatment plan to treat the patient's systemic infection."

"Systemic corruption was found to be the root cause of systematic discrimination throughout the department"

👤 lynsfiend
They could potentially both be right, depending on the subject matter they address describing.