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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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”; see reconcile) + -iō -ion
Reconciliation is the act of getting two things to be compatible with one another. You might have a reconciliation with a former enemy, or your mom might call for a reconciliation between your spending habits and your diminishing bank account. If you want to do something on Friday night, but your friend is trying to save money, going to a free art gallery opening would be a reconciliation of both your desires. Reconciliation can also mean the reestablishment of civil relations after a conflict. If you and your friend got into an argument over what to do Friday night, you’d need to have a reconciliation before you go hang out.
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However, the reconciliation appeared to be short-lived, with Lindsie saying on her podcast in March 2025 that she hadn’t had any contact with her dad in a year.
From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2026
The author poignantly describes Hepburn’s disappointment with a failed reconciliation with the father who deserted her when she was 6 years old.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026
But there was supposed to be "a lot of reconciliation" in this tournament, "albeit Germany weren't invited," says Andy Kerr, visitor attraction manager at the Scottish Football Museum.
From BBC • May 7, 2026
And they’re doing that via this reconciliation process, right?
From Slate • May 7, 2026
This proof of a German theory by British scientists was hailed as a great act of reconciliation between the two countries after the war.
From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking
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.
