syncretic
Americanadjective
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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.
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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.
Etymology
Origin of syncretic
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The ritual is syncretic -- blending Mayan and Catholic traditions.
From Barron's • Oct. 22, 2025
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 • Jul. 21, 2025
Candomblé is considered a syncretic religion, meaning it draws from various faiths and traditions.
From New York Times • May 18, 2024
The syncretic religion that melds Catholicism with animist beliefs has no official leader or creeds.
From Seattle Times • May 9, 2024
It was a difficult undertaking, especially under the provisions of centralized, syncretic authority.
From The Civilization of Illiteracy by Nadin, Mihai
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
