reconcile
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to cause (a person) to accept or be resigned to something not desired.
He was reconciled to his fate.
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to win over to friendliness; cause to become amicable.
to reconcile hostile persons.
- Synonyms:
- placate , propitiate , pacify
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to compose or settle (a quarrel, dispute, etc.).
- Antonyms:
- anger
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to bring into agreement or harmony; make compatible or consistent.
to reconcile differing statements;
to reconcile accounts.
- Synonyms:
- harmonize
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to reconsecrate (a desecrated church, cemetery, etc.).
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to restore (an excommunicate or penitent) to communion in a church.
verb (used without object)
verb
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to make (oneself or another) no longer opposed; cause to acquiesce in something unpleasant
she reconciled herself to poverty
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to become friendly with (someone) after estrangement or to re-establish friendly relations between (two or more people)
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to settle (a quarrel or difference)
-
to make (two apparently conflicting things) compatible or consistent with each other
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to reconsecrate (a desecrated church, etc)
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” ( conciliate )
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.
Around the table they told me how the Gospel had reconciled them to God and, therefore, to each other.
“Safe bonds such as Treasury bonds and investment-grade bonds traded at surprisingly large discounts that were hard to reconcile with economic fundamentals.”
From MarketWatch
She has been trying to reconcile her aspirations to become a history teacher with her desire to start a family in her mid-20s.
With key data blacked out by the government shutdown, officials lacked the usual information that often reconciles differences.
At the same time, I found it hard to reconcile the idea that parents rationally invest in their children’s futures with my own upbringing.
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.
