reconcile

[rek-uhn-sahyl]

verb (used with object)

reconciled, reconciling 

1. to cause (a person) to accept or be resigned to something not desired.

   He was reconciled to his fate.

2. to win over to friendliness; cause to become amicable.

   to reconcile hostile persons.

   Synonyms: placate, propitiate, pacify

3. to compose or settle (a quarrel, dispute, etc.).

   Antonyms: anger

4. to bring into agreement or harmony; make compatible or consistent.

   to reconcile differing statements;

   to reconcile accounts.

   Synonyms: harmonize

5. to reconsecrate (a desecrated church, cemetery, etc.).

6. to restore (an excommunicate or penitent) to communion in a church.

verb (used without object)

reconciled, reconciling 

1. to become reconciled.

reconcile

/ ˈrɛkənˌsaɪl, -trɪ, ˌrɛkənˌsɪlɪˈeɪʃən, ˌrɛkənˈsɪlɪətərɪ /

verb

1. to make (oneself or another) no longer opposed; cause to acquiesce in something unpleasant

   she reconciled herself to poverty

2. to become friendly with (someone) after estrangement or to re-establish friendly relations between (two or more people)

3. to settle (a quarrel or difference)

4. to make (two apparently conflicting things) compatible or consistent with each other

5. to reconsecrate (a desecrated church, etc)

Other Word Forms

• reconciler noun
• reconciliatory adjective
• reconcilement noun
• reconciliation noun
• reconcilingly adverb
• prereconcile verb (used with object)
• prereconcilement noun
• quasi-reconciled adjective
• unreconciled adjective
• unreconciling adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of reconcile¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English reconcilen, from Latin reconciliāre “to make good again, repair,” equivalent to re- re- + conciliāre “to bring together” ( conciliate )

Word History and Origins

Origin of reconcile¹

C14: from Latin reconciliāre to bring together again, from _re- + conciliāre to make friendly, _conciliate

Example Sentences

The music press, an industry overwhelmingly drawn from the upper middle class, struggled to reconcile it.

From Los Angeles Times

The larger picture is about how far big powers can really reconcile.

From BBC

"I don't know how much longer my father has. He won't speak to me because of this security stuff... but it would be nice to reconcile."

From BBC

But writing it, reconciling with his past, would prove pretty agonizing in its own right.

From Los Angeles Times

The tension is never reconciled and is constantly throwing the story off balance.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• accommodate 
• appease 
• assuage 
• conform 
• coordinate 
• harmonize 
• integrate 
• pacify 
• placate 
• rectify 
• resolve 
• reunite 

When To Use

What does reconcile mean?

Reconcile means to make amends, come to a truce, or settle a dispute.Reconcile can also mean to make things compatible or consistent with each other. This sense of the word is especially used when discussing two things that cannot be reconciled, such as two contrasting beliefs.Another sense of the word means to cause to accept a negative situation or become resigned to it, as in I am reconciled to my fate of never being able to afford my dream house. The noun form of reconcile is reconciliation, which refers to the process of reconciling. It’s also the name of a Catholic sacrament involving the confession of sin.Example: After years of not speaking to each other, the two finally sat down and reconciled.