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 SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 2
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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.
Lee, whose party takes a conciliatory approach to the North, has been making efforts to reopen peace talks, with little success.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
"Others may feel that we should simply keep quiet about this and try to be conciliatory, because of the United States' aggressiveness toward Greenland."
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
The mayor has made other conciliatory gestures to the city’s capitalist class.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
“With Crowley, he has a more conciliatory approach ... that probably sits better with the average independent voter or moderate in the state who’s just looking to get some problems addressed.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
‘Of course,’ he said in a conciliatory way.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
Definitions 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.
