What is the 'synchronized' keyword?

The keyword synchronized in Java is used to ensure synchronized access to shared resources in a multithreaded environment. It guarantees that only one thread can execute a block of code or method marked as synchronized at a given time, preventing race conditions and ensuring data integrity.

Example of using a method with synchronized:

public class Counter {
    private int count = 0;

    public synchronized void increment() {
        count++;
    }

    public synchronized int getCount() {
        return count;
    }
}

Here, the increment and getCount methods are synchronized, which prevents multiple threads from accessing them simultaneously and guarantees correct updating and reading of the count variable.