Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To reconcile and unite (differing religious beliefs, for example), especially with partial success or a heterogeneous result.
  • intransitive verb To combine differing elements or beliefs, especially with partial success or a heterogeneous result.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To effect or attempt syncretism; blend; unite: as, to syncretize religious systems. Also spelled syncretise.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb to combine different elements, or to unite or reconcile different beliefs
  • verb linguistics to merge different inflexional forms

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb unite (beliefs or conflicting principles)
  • verb become fused

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Greek sunkrētizein, to unite against a common enemy; see syncretism.]

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word syncretize.

Examples

  • Along with George Romero's zombies and some of the folk tales and ghost stories that syncretize Irish immigrant and other voluntary immigrant, African and American Indian traditions, Lovecraft is the site of one of the few peculiarly American fantasies.

    Nick Mamatas' Journal nihilistic_kid 2010

  • But I agree also with Jeff and the writer of this piece that the artificiality of “genre” versus “literary” needs to be broken down, and the way that works of art borrow from, syncretize, and rework genres needs more acknowledgement.

    Genres of Fiction, and Why They Aren’t Discrete Entities 2010

  • This concept ignores that to maintain absolute cultural integrity, cultures must be isolated from one another, because cultures inevitably syncretize when they come into contact.

    SeeLight: 2006

  • This concept ignores that to maintain absolute cultural integrity, cultures must be isolated from one another, because cultures inevitably syncretize when they come into contact.

    Hybridity vs. Colorblindness and Cultural Appropriation 2006

  • Now this is only a simple glossary overview and one can delve deeper into each religion, and those not mentioned here, and choose more components to syncretize until they have a complete religion of their own that fits their individual needs.

    Room Eight judgeboyajian 2010

  • Now this is only a simple glossary overview and one can delve deeper into each religion, and those not mentioned here, and choose more components to syncretize until they have a complete religion of their own that fits their individual needs.

    Room Eight judgeboyajian 2010

  • Now this is only a simple glossary overview and one can delve deeper into each religion, and those not mentioned here, and choose more components to syncretize until they have a complete religion of their own that fits their individual needs.

    Room Eight judgeboyajian 2010

  • Now this is only a simple glossary overview and one can delve deeper into each religion, and those not mentioned here, and choose more components to syncretize until they have a complete religion of their own that fits their individual needs.

    Room Eight 2010

  • Now this is only a simple glossary overview and one can delve deeper into each religion, and those not mentioned here, and choose more components to syncretize until they have a complete religion of their own that fits their individual needs.

    Room Eight 2010

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.