reconcile

American  

[rek-uhn-sahyl] / ˈrɛk ənˌsaɪl /

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.

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verb (used without object)

reconciled, reconciling

1. to become reconciled.

reconcile British  

/ 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)

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Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of reconcile

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

Explanation

Reach for the verb reconcile to make different things come together or resolve a matter. If you've ever had an argument with someone and then made up, you have reconciled. Reconcile is a verb that can mean "to become resigned" like if you're reconciled to getting the bottom bunk when you wanted the top. It also means to "bring into agreement and harmony." Words like it are pacify, harmonize, and accommodate — reconcile is definitely an agreeable word!

Example Sentences

Martha Wiggins, the chief culinary officer at Café Reconcile, a nonprofit restaurant that helps teenagers and young adults develop job skills, said Mr. Mbaye “has a talent for befriending people who are like-minded.”

From New York Times • Feb. 14, 2023

“He had made some mistakes that cost him some years of his life,” said Ronnie Lillard, a friend and rapper who performs under the name Reconcile.

From Washington Times • Jun. 10, 2020

Reconcile that before you go back into the dating circuit.

From Slate • Mar. 19, 2019

Reconcile the fact that it will never be as funny as it sounds in your head.

From Washington Post • Apr. 28, 2015

Reconcile yourself to present trials, the future may bring worse.

From Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases With a Copious Index of Principal Words by Preston, Thomas

Related Words

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