syncretic

Also syn·cre·tis·tic
Rarely syn·cret·ic·al

[sin-kret-ik]

adjective

1. 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.

2. 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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of syncretic¹

syncret(ism) ( def. ) + -ic

Example Sentences

That has been especially true for the Druze, adherents of a syncretic sect that is an offshoot of Shiite Islam who constitute some 3% of Syria’s population.

From Los Angeles Times

The Druze, who make up roughly 3% of Syria’s population, are members of a syncretic religion that emerged in the 11th century as an offshoot of Shiite Islam.

From Los Angeles Times

Such is the syncretic nature of contemporary conservatism that blatantly contradictory elements can be fused into the monstrous ideological confection we see all around us.

From Salon

Candomblé is considered a syncretic religion, meaning it draws from various faiths and traditions.

From New York Times

As Portuguese Catholic colonists brought African slaves to Brazil, the enslaved men and women developed syncretic blends of their traditional religions with Catholicism, now practiced by a small minority of Brazilians.

From Seattle Times