reconcile

rec·on·cile

verb \ˈre-kən-ˌsī(-ə)l\

rec·on·ciledrec·on·cil·ing

Definition of RECONCILE

transitive verb

1

a : to restore to friendship or harmony <reconciled the factions>

b : settle, resolve <reconcile differences>

2

: to make consistent or congruous <reconcile an ideal with reality>

3

: to cause to submit to or accept something unpleasant <was reconciled to hardship>

4

a : to check (a financial account) against another for accuracy

b : to account for

intransitive verb

: to become reconciled

— rec·on·cil·abil·i·ty \ˌre-kən-ˌsī-lə-ˈbi-lə-tē\ noun

— rec·on·cil·able \ˌre-kən-ˈsī-lə-bəl, ˈre-kən-ˌ\ adjective

— rec·on·cile·ment \ˈre-kən-ˌsī(-ə)l-mənt\ noun

— rec·on·cil·er noun

Examples of RECONCILE

1. It can be difficult to reconcile your ideals with reality.
2. <historians have never been able to reconcile the two eyewitness accounts of the battle>
3. 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
4. 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
5. 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
6. 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

Origin of RECONCILE

Middle English, from Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French reconciler, from Latin reconciliare, from re- + conciliare to conciliate

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to RECONCILE

Synonyms

accommodate, attune, conciliate, conform, coordinate, key, harmonize

Antonyms

disharmonize

Related Words

adapt, tune; blend, combine, connect, correlate, dovetail, fit, fuse, integrate, join, match, merge, orchestrate, pair, square, suit, synchronize, synthesize, unify, unite; align (also aline), arrange, array, balance, equalize, even, order, proportion, regularize, standardize

Near Antonyms

confuse, disarray, disorder, disorganize, disrupt, disturb, skew, upset; alienate, estrange

See Synonym Discussion at adapt

Rhymes with RECONCILE

Anglophile, country mile, cyclostyle, domicile, family style, Francophile, Gallophile, hypostyle, in denial, juvenile, projectile, rat-tail file, rank and file, single file, statute mile