reconciliation

American  

[rek-uhn-sil-ee-ey-shuhn] / ˌrɛk ənˌsɪl iˈeɪ ʃən /

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.

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Reconciliation British  

/ 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

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Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

• nonreconciliation noun
• prereconciliation noun
• proreconciliation adjective

Etymology

Origin 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”; reconcile ) + -iō -ion

Example Sentences

He now seems to be more about reconciliation with his family rather than recrimination.

From BBC

"He believed completely in the peace process, in reconciliation, and in a united Ireland built on equality and respect for all," McDonald added.

From BBC

“They are starting to talk about dialogue, they are starting to talk about reconciliation,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal

In a video shared by another freed journalist, he called for "peace and reconciliation."

From Barron's

Still, spending could get a short-term boost in the first quarter from higher tax refunds resulting from the reconciliation bill passed in July, writes William Blair’s macro analyst Richard de Chazal.

From Barron's

Related Words

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