reconcile

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verb rec·on·cile \ ˈre-kən-ˌsī(-ə)l \

Definition of reconcile

reconciled; reconciling

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

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reconcilability

play \ˌre-kən-ˌsī-lə-ˈbi-lə-tē\ noun

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reconcilable

play \ˌre-kən-ˈsī-lə-bəl, ˈre-kən-ˌ\ adjective

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reconcilement

play \ˈre-kən-ˌsī(-ə)l-mənt\ noun

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reconciler

noun

See reconcile defined for English-language learners

See reconcile defined for kids

reconcile was our Word of the Day on 09/24/2016. Hear the podcast!

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 of reconcile from the Web

Already, U.S. and European authorities are wrestling with how to reconcile regulations in the two jurisdictions.

— silla brush, Bloomberg.com, "How Do You Put a Price on Investment Research?," 29 Aug. 2017
CrashPlan insists that its decision is motivated by a desire to better serve business users, but this claim is a little hard to reconcile with its continued promotion of its small business plan.

— peter bright, Ars Technica, "With CrashPlan getting out of the consumer cloud backup game, what’s next best?," 27 Aug. 2017
Few bands have managed to reconcile the impulse to dance with the attitude of tight-lipped scowling.

— john adamian, courant.com, "Depeche Mode At Mohegan Sun," 23 Aug. 2017
But Lagerwey was reconciled to his all-or-nothing approach, even when talks over Gonzalez ultimately fell apart Wednesday: Feeling the Sounders already worthy of another run at an MLS Cup title.

— geoff baker, The Seattle Times, "Sounders head in to first place showdown confident in team they’ve shaped," 11 Aug. 2017
The council will have to reconcile the two different ballot proposals within the next two weeks to make clear whether the city is pursuing public financing or some sort of private financing for the project.

— lynn horsley, kansascity, "Ballot would clearly ask Kansas City voters for new airport terminal," 10 Aug. 2017
Clark Wade/IndyStar INDIANAPOLIS -- The complicated coaching legacy of Jim Caldwell in Indianapolis can be condensed into a few, striking images, moments the Colts’ faithful in this city have never seemed to reconcile.

— zak keefer, Indianapolis Star, "The complicated coaching legacy of Jim Caldwell in Indianapolis," 10 Aug. 2017
Already, the GOP is finding that its commitments to ever-higher military spending and ever-lower taxes can’t be reconciled without draconian cuts to popular safety-net programs and public services.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump’s Tax Plan Would Be Bad for Those Who Don’t Own Yachts, Study Basically Finds," 12 July 2017
Initially, Egypt sought to pressure Abbas into reconciling and sharing power with Dahlan, but upon Abbas’s refusal, Egypt looked to Hamas to install Dahlan in power.

— elliot kaufman, National Review, "Mahmoud Abbas’s Legacy Blows Up in His Face," 11 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'reconcile.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of reconcile

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

reconcile Synonyms

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

Synonym Discussion of reconcile

adapt, adjust, accommodate, conform, reconcile mean to bring one thing into correspondence with another. adapt implies a modification according to changing circumstances.

- 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.

- accommodated his political beliefs in order to win

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

RECONCILE Defined for English Language Learners

reconcile

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verb

Definition of reconcile for English Language Learners

: to find a way of making (two different ideas, facts, etc.) exist or be true at the same time
: to cause people or groups to become friendly again after an argument or disagreement

RECONCILE Defined for Kids

reconcile

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verb rec·on·cile \ ˈre-kən-ˌsīl \

Definition of reconcile for Students

reconciled; reconciling

1 :to make friendly again

She helped to reconcile friends who had been quarreling.

2 :to settle by agreement :adjust

You'll have to reconcile your differences.

3 :to make agree

His story cannot be reconciled with the facts.

4 :to cause to give in or accept

I reconciled myself to the loss.

Law Dictionary

reconcile

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verb rec·on·cile \ ˈre-kən-ˌsīl \

legal Definition of reconcile

reconciled; reconciling

transitive verb

1 a :to restore to harmony

reconciled the parties

reconciled the marriage

b :to bring to resolution

reconcile differences

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

b :to account for

intransitive verb

:to become reconciled; specifically :to voluntarily resume cohabitation as spouses prior to a divorce becoming final with the mutual intention of remaining together and reestablishing a harmonious relationship