conciliatory
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of conciliatory
First recorded in 1570–80; conciliate + -ory 1
Explanation
If you're in a fight with a friend and you want to end it, you should make a conciliatory gesture, such as inviting her to a party you're having. Conciliatory describes things that make other people less angry. The context is often a situation in which a dispute is settled by compromise. A synonym is propitiatory, though this adjective usually refers to avoiding the anger of someone who has the power to harm. In the word conciliatory, the –ory suffix means "relating to or doing," and the root is from Latin conciliatus, from conciliare "to bring together, win over," from concilium "council."
Vocabulary lists containing conciliatory
Power Prefix: con-
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The Crucible
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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.
Mexico has taken a more conciliatory approach, refraining from imposing retaliatory measures and engaging in talks, with Sheinbaum at times joining conversations with Greer and Lutnick.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
Ronaldo's statement, which ran to nearly 2,000 words, struck a conciliatory tone in places.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
But he then struck a more conciliatory tone, promising a rigorous environmental study and telling Lamu residents: "Your rights will be protected. Your voice will be heard."
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
Victor Granado, a longtime friend of Flávio, is among those hoping the candidate’s more conciliatory nature and softer rhetoric than his father’s will help broaden his appeal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
The Court’s enforcement decree, issued a full year after Brown, seemed conciliatory to segregationists, imposing no deadline for achieving racially mixed schools and calling merely for “good faith implementation.”
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
