Syncretic

//sɪnˈkɹɛtɪk// adj

adj ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Combining disparate elements in one system, especially as in forms of religious observance, philosophical systems, or artistic creations.

    "In Islamic villages below Tengger, however, more syncretic communities still celebrate annual village ritual festivals (slametan desa, slametan tuyo) designed to give homage to the spirits of the mountains and insure the flow of their waters."

Adjective
  1. 1
    of or characterized by syncretism wordnet
  2. 2
    relating to a historical tendency for a language to reduce its use of inflections wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
ambiguousambivalentamphibiousblendedcombinedcomplex

Example

More examples

"Xavier proclaims a syncretic stance in religion."

Etymology

Back-formation from syncretism: by surface analysis, syncret(ize) + -ic.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.