syncretic
[ sin-kret-ik ]
/ sɪnˈkrɛt ɪk /
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adjective
combining or bringing together different philosophical, religious, or cultural principles and practices:The Afro-Brazilian religion is syncretic, mingling the pantheon, practices, and beliefs brought to South America by enslaved Yorubans with the Catholicism of colonial European culture.Exceptional syncretic murals can be found at the site, the work of Indigenous artists who struggled with and adapted unfamiliar European subject matter after the Spanish Conquest.
Grammar. relating to or describing the merging of two or more inflectional categories into one: When word forms in a paradigm are syncretic, they can result in grammatical ambiguity because one form can have multiple functions.
QUIZ
SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?
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Question 1 of 6
Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?
Also syn·cre·tis·tic [sing-kri-tis-tik, sin-] /ˌsɪŋ krɪˈtɪs tɪk, ˌsɪn-/ . Rarely syn·cret·ic·al [sin-kret-ik-uhl] /sɪnˈkrɛt ɪk əl/ .
Origin of syncretic
Words nearby syncretic
syncopate, syncopated, syncopation, syncope, syncopic, syncretic, syncretism, syncretize, syncrisis, syncytial knot, syncytiotrophoblast
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022