reconciliation

[rek-uhn-sil-ee-ey-shuhn]

noun

1. the act of coming to an understanding and putting an end to hostility, as when former enemies agree to an amicable truce.

   Thirty years later, the rebel son is seeking reconciliation with his mother and sister.

   Reconciliation between the government and the Indigenous community will take more than pleasant words.

2. the state of being resigned to something undesirable, or the process of achieving this state; acceptance.

   Telling them about her son as he was before the accident gave her a sense of peace and reconciliation with her loss.

3. the act or process of making consistent or compatible.

   There is a tension between justice and mercy, and their reconciliation is not easy or obvious.

4. the act or process of verifying one account or set of figures with another to ensure or test for accuracy.

   Reconciliation of the sum of money received and the number of tickets sold revealed a few reporting errors.

5. U.S. Government.,  a Congressional procedure under which a simple majority of votes in the Senate is enough to pass legislation relating to the federal budget: used in order to avoid a potential filibuster.

Reconciliation

/ ˌrɛkənˌsɪlɪˈeɪʃən /

noun

1. RC Church a sacrament in which repentant sinners are absolved and gain reconciliation with God and the Church, on condition of confession of their sins to a priest and of performing a penance

Other Word Forms

• nonreconciliation noun
• prereconciliation noun
• proreconciliation adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of reconciliation¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English reconsiliacion, from Latin reconciliātiōn-, stem of reconciliātiō “renewal, restoration,” from reconciliāt(us) “restored, reunited” (past participle of reconciliāre “to repair, restore, reunite”; reconcile ) + -iō -ion

Example Sentences

In a recent interview with NPR, she reveals that she’s reached a place of “acceptance” and “strange apathy,” adding that she isn’t seeking reconciliation and doesn’t dwell on repairing the relationship.

Read more on Salon

Lazarus Chakwera, Malawi's former president and the Commonwealth envoy, is due to arrive in Tanzania to lead reconciliation efforts between the two sides.

Read more on BBC

Canadian Foreign Minister praised the move, calling it, "an important step that honours the diverse cultural heritage of Indigenous peoples and supports ongoing efforts toward truth, justice, and reconciliation".

Read more on BBC

Republicans have a rare chance to use budget reconciliation again during this Congress to dodge the Senate 60-vote rule for tax and spending bills.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

But months to the election, a wave of abductions, arrests and the brutal killings of opposition members gripped the country, shattering hopes for reforms and reconciliation.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• accord 
• agreement 
• compromise 
• harmony 
• rapprochement 
• settlement 

When To Use

What does reconciliation mean?

Reconciliation is the process of two people or groups in a conflict agreeing to make amends or come to a truce.Reconciliation is also the name of a Catholic sacrament involving the confession of sin. Less commonly, reconciliation refers to when someone accepts an undesirable situation, or to the process of making things compatible.Example: After years of conflict, the two parties have agreed to meet with the goal of reconciliation.