Systemic vs. Systematic

Today’s Vocabulary Lesson:

Among the most confused word pairs in our language are ‘systemic’, and ‘systematic’.  But these words have very different meanings.  ‘Systemic’ refers to a problem or phenomenon that affects an entire system, rather than one specific part.  ‘Systematic’ refers to an action plan executed methodically.  

For example, the prevalence of guns in our society, their fetishization, and their easy access by anybody who wants one pose a SYSTEMIC threat to our safety.  When this threat is manifest—whether in a mass killing, or in the tens of thousands of individual deaths by firearms that occur each year—it triggers a SYSTEMATIC response by the gun industry, acting through its NRA arm, and the lawmakers they sponsor; preventing any change.  

I hope that helps you understand the distinction between these similar words.