1
a : to restore to friendship or harmony2
: to make consistent or congruous reconcile an ideal with reality3
: to cause to submit to or accept something unpleasant was reconciled to hardship4
a: to check (a financial account) against another for accuracy
Did you know?When faced with a kerfuffle, dustup, or other flavor of fracas, a conciliatory gesture or tone of voice—one intended to gain goodwill or to reduce hostility—can go a long way toward reconciling the squabbling parties. This makes not only common but etymological sense—both conciliatory and reconcile trace back to the Latin verb conciliare, meaning “to assemble, unite, or win over.” Reconcile can also be used when it’s facts, ideas, etc. that are being brought into agreement, and when financial accounts are checked against one another for accuracy. Reconcile is not all feel-good vibes, however. If you reconcile yourself to something unpleasant you come to accept it, as in “Even lexicographers must reconcile themselves to never knowing all the words.”
Choose the Right Synonym for reconcile
adapted themselves to the warmer climate
adjust suggests bringing into a close and exact correspondence or harmony such as exists between parts of a mechanism.
adjusted the budget to allow for inflation
accommodate may suggest yielding or compromising to effect a correspondence.
businesses accommodating themselves to the new political reality
conform applies to bringing into accordance with a pattern, example, or principle.
refused to conform to society's values
reconcile implies the demonstration of the underlying compatibility of things that seem to be incompatible.
tried to reconcile what he said with what I knew
Examples of reconcile in a Sentence She and Eddie had separated and reconciled so many times the children had lost track of whose clothes were where. —John Grisham, The Chamber, 1995 He thought they might reconcile the Parisians to his daring design by reminding them of the familiar arches of their bridges. —Mario Salvadori, Why Buildings Stand Up, 1990 By exposing the comic-pathetic quality of the human condition, it temporarily reconciles us to that condition without creating in us complacence, lethargy, or any negative emotion. —Clifton Fadiman, Center Magazine, January-February 1971 It is a function of architecture to reconcile technology with human cussedness, to make the mechanics of life endurable … —Russell Lynes, Harper's, October 1968 It can be difficult to reconcile your ideals with reality. historians have never been able to reconcile the two eyewitness accounts of the battle Recent Examples on the Web Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback. In order to oust Najib, Mahathir reconciled with Anwar, who was freed thanks to a royal pardon. —Charlie Campbell, Time, 2 May 2025 Two tracks for the House, Senate The budget blueprint passed earlier this month instructs the House and Senate to craft separate proposals that will eventually need to be reconciled. —Riley Beggin, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2025 Now Cubs fans will have to reconcile a memory mashup of Caray with current shortstop Swanson in a bald cap singing a slightly different tune. —Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2025 For instance, by using reliable, strong and individualized financial data to develop an AI assistant, a fintech firm can slash countless hours of manual work reconciling accounts while providing intelligent insights and task-specific recommendations and assistance. —Imran Aftab, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for reconcile Word HistoryEtymology
Middle English, from Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French reconciler, from Latin reconciliare, from re- + conciliare to conciliate
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a
Time Traveler
The first known use of reconcile was in the 14th century Cite this Entry“Reconcile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reconcile. Accessed 10 May. 2025.
Last Updated: 8 May 2025 - Updated example sentencesLove words? Need even more definitions?
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