reconcile

verb

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rec·on·cile | \ ˈre-kən-ˌsī(-ə)l

reconciled; reconciling

Definition of reconcile

transitive verb

1a : 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

4a : to check (a financial account) against another for accuracy

b : to account for

intransitive verb

: to become reconciled

Other Words from reconcile Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about reconcile

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Choose the Right Synonym for 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. 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 After more than 100 years, no one has figured out how to reconcile general relativity with the other great pillar of 20th century physics: quantum mechanics. — Matthew Pillsbury, Travel, "Time travel for travelers? It’s tricky.," 28 Dec. 2020 Entire plots centered on the attempt to reconcile different versions of reality. — Eric Mcquade, The Atlantic, "The 50 Best Podcasts of 2020," 26 Dec. 2020 The work will help climate scientists reconcile various models to improve their accuracy, said Florida State University Meteorology Professor Ming Cai, one of the authors of the study published in Nature Communications . — Paul Douglas, Star Tribune, "51 MPH Gusts Usher an Early November Into Minnesota," 14 Oct. 2020 Therefore, each state has systems in place to monitor for double voting and reconcile any irregularities. — Lily Hay Newman, Wired, "Trump Pushed 11 False Claims About Voting in 8 Minutes During the Debate," 30 Sep. 2020 With the switch to online banking, many people don’t reconcile their checkbooks anymore. — Liz Weston, oregonlive, "Liz Weston: Saving insurance money from home fire may delay Medicaid benefits," 13 Dec. 2020 An emerging deal would reconcile some of the key provisions from Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Joe Manchin’s sweeping bipartisan energy bill, the American Energy Innovation Act, and House Democrats’ similar Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act. — Josh Siegel, Washington Examiner, "Daily on Energy, presented by API: Congressional leaders in talks for last-minute deal on long-sought energy innovation package," 8 Dec. 2020 Who knows how Congress or the administration will reconcile those opposing priorities. — Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, "The Capital Letter: Week of November 30," 4 Dec. 2020 But like so many American writers, Whitman couldn’t reconcile himself to the way reality fell short of the founding ideal. — Adam Kirsch, WSJ, "The Fiction of American Democracy," 30 Oct. 2020

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.

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Last Updated

11 Jan 2021

Cite this Entry

“Reconcile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reconcile. Accessed 18 Jan. 2021.

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More Definitions for reconcile

reconcile

verb

English Language Learners Definition of reconcile

formal

: 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

See the full definition for reconcile in the English Language Learners Dictionary

reconcile

verb

rec·on·cile | \ ˈre-kən-ˌsīl

reconciled; reconciling

Kids Definition of reconcile

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.

reconcile

verb

rec·on·cile | \ ˈre-kən-ˌsīl

reconciled; reconciling

Legal Definition of reconcile

transitive verb

1a : to restore to harmony reconciled the parties reconciled the marriage

b : to bring to resolution reconcile differences

2a : 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 denied the complaint for divorce because the parties had reconciled