conciliatory

adjective

con·​cil·​ia·​to·​ry kən-ˈsil-yə-ˌtȯr-ē How to pronounce conciliatory (audio)
-ˈsi-lē-ə-
: intended to gain goodwill or favor or to reduce hostility : tending or intended to conciliate
speaking in a conciliatory tone
But while the conference call might have been seen as a conciliatory gesture, an olive branch to his critics after weeks of bitter back-and-forth, the meeting seemed anything but.Colin Deppen
He was self-assured, aggressive, combative, at times willing to offend and at times trying to sound conciliatory.Dan Balz

Did you know?

If you are conciliatory towards someone, you're trying to win that person over to your side. The verb conciliate was borrowed into English in the mid-16th century and descends from the Latin verb conciliare, meaning "to assemble, unite, or win over." Conciliare, in turn, comes from Latin concilium, meaning "assembly" or "council." Conciliatory, which appeared in English a bit later in the 16th century, also traces back to conciliare. Another word that has conciliare as a root is reconcile, the earliest meaning of which is "to restore to friendship or harmony."

Examples of conciliatory in a Sentence

eased the tension with conciliatory remarks
Recent Examples on the Web The other is a vice president who might be more conciliatory in the short term but could rally U.S. allies against China’s growing global influence. Jennifer Jett, NBC News, 22 Oct. 2024 Someone wanting to be helpful, available, conciliatory. Matthew Schnipper, The Atlantic, 3 Oct. 2024 Now, there are signs Durov is adopting a more conciliatory attitude toward the authorities. Morgan Meaker, WIRED, 2 Oct. 2024 Cohen reached out his arms and laughed in a conciliatory gesture, but the Queen of pop wasn't finished with him. Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 10 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for conciliatory 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'conciliatory.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1576, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of conciliatory was in 1576

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Dictionary Entries Near conciliatory

Cite this Entry

“Conciliatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conciliatory. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

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