conciliate

American  

[kuhn-sil-ee-eyt] / kənˈsɪl iˌeɪt /

verb (used with object)

conciliated, conciliating

1. to overcome the distrust or hostility of; placate; win over.

   to conciliate an angry competitor.

2. to win or gain (goodwill, regard, or favor).

3. to make compatible; reconcile.

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verb (used without object)

conciliated, conciliating

1. to become agreeable or reconciled.

   Efforts to conciliate in the dispute proved fruitless.

conciliate British  

/ kənˈsɪlɪˌeɪt /

verb

1. to overcome the hostility of; placate; win over

2. to win or gain (favour, regard, etc), esp by making friendly overtures

3. archaic to make compatible; reconcile

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Related Words

See appease.

Other Word Forms

• conciliable adjective
• conciliatingly adverb
• conciliation noun
• conciliator noun
• nonconciliating adjective
• proconciliation adjective
• unconciliable adjective
• unconciliated adjective
• unconciliating adjective

Etymology

Origin of conciliate

1540–50; < Latin conciliātus (past participle of conciliāre to bring together, unite, equivalent to concili ( um ) council + -ātus -ate ¹

Explanation

The verb conciliate means to placate, appease, or pacify. If you are eating at a restaurant and the waiter accidentally spills a drink on you, the manager may try to conciliate you by picking up the tab for your meal. You may be more familiar with the term conciliation ––it can mean the flowers you bring to conciliate your girlfriend after a fight, or a politician's conciliatory offer to fund a new playground to a community that's just lost its school. Conciliate comes from the Latin word conciliare, meaning "to unite." Conciliare in turn comes from the Latin word concilium, meaning "council." If you remember their common etymology, you can remember that, like council, conciliate is spelled with only one l.

Example Sentences

Much as former President Barack Obama once courted congressional Republicans, Tromp sought to conciliate the conservative legislators.

From Salon • Jun. 29, 2022

He had to reward those who backed him, but many believe he also needed to conciliate those who were unhappy with his election.

From BBC • Jun. 18, 2021

The purpose of politics — or, at any rate, one purpose — is to conciliate and to cooperate.

From Washington Post • Nov. 11, 2018

To conciliate Federalists who still resented the recent war, Monroe toured New England shortly after his inauguration and attracted widespread popular applause.

From Textbooks • Jan. 18, 2018

Lyra knew that this was a time to conciliate, and she was happy to do that, having gotten her way.

From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman