conciliatory

adjective

con·cil·ia·to·ry | \ kən-ˈsil-yə-ˌtȯr-ē

, -ˈsi-lē-ə- \

Definition of conciliatory

: 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

Synonyms & Antonyms Did you know? Learn More About conciliatory

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."