ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Syncretic

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /sɪnˈkɹɛtɪk/ · Part of speech adjective

Quick meaning: Syncretic is an adjective meaning Combining disparate elements in one system, especially as in forms of religious observance, philosophical systems, or artistic creations.

Meaning

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

Example Sentences

To cite another obvious case, there can be few things more syncretic than Roman Catholic canon law, where the doctrine of a Galilean peasant was built into Roman imperial legality.
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.
1999, John B. Henderson, Imagining Boundaries: Changing Confucian Doctrines, Texts, and Hermeneutics, Kai-wing Chow, On Cho Ng, John B. Henderson (editors), Imagining Boundaries: Changing Confucian Doctrines, Texts, and Hermeneutics, State University of New York Press, page 112, From the point of view of many late Ming and Ch'ing scholars, the most syncretic, as well as the most threatening heretic of all was a nominal Confucian, Wang Yang-ming (1472-1528).

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include syncretical, syncretistic, syncratic, syncretistical, mixy-matchy, harmonistic.

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Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

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