To "synthesize" is to put things together.
Here is how 2 leading English dictionaries define "synthesizer
American Heritage Dictionary.
'Music An electronic instrument, often played with a keyboard, that combines simple waveforms to produce more complex sounds, such as those of various other instruments" Note WAVEFORMS PRODUCE.
Webster
Usually computerized electronic apparatus for the production and control of sound (as for producing music) Note: PRODUCTION OF SOUND
The way the original question was put, it sounds to me like the inquirer was expecting a single instrument, not a group of separate component parts.
A "workstation" is where you work. A "workstation" comes in a box labeled "workstation", and it might even have it right on the instrument itself.
A synthesizer can be a workstation and a workstation can be a synthesizer