Definition of RECONCILED (original) (raw)

: to restore to friendship or harmony

reconciled the two factions

… working earnestly to reconcile himself with his wife and estranged son …—Jillian Cheney

: to come to an agreement on or an answer or solution to (something) : settle, resolve

reconcile their differences

The war has put her in the increasingly difficult position of representing both constituencies, whose views of the conflict are both deeply personal and often extraordinarily difficult to reconcile.—Charles Homans

: to make consistent or congruous

reconcile an ideal with reality

Their story cannot be reconciled with the facts.

But Oppenheimer is more about the titular main character reconciling his brilliance with his interpersonal failings …—Keith Nelson

: to cause to submit to or accept something unpleasant

"… I am very much obliged to you for trying to reconcile me to what must be."—Jane Austen

… is reconciled to the fact that both his ambition and his career have stalled.—Laura Wilson

… the community is forced to reconcile with their unfulfilled achievements …—Denise Petski

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

No amount of auditing can reconcile the hole this leaves in the federal budget.—Matthew Yglesias

Since then, doctors, counselors and hospitals have had to reconcile estimated payments with actual claims and settle the difference.—Steve Thompson and Jenna Portnoy

: to account for : explain

Nationwide, museums are struggling with how to reconcile collections gathered under circumstances that critics contend were little more than theft.—Nicole Dungca, Claire Healy, and Andrew Ba Tran

intransitive verb

: to become reconciled

Despite their sometimes tumultuous relationship, the couple managed to reconcile …—Elizabeth Ayoola

reconcilable

adjective

a theory that is reconcilable with the evidence

Did you know?

When faced with a kerfuffle, dustup, or other flavor of fracas, a conciliatory gesture or tone of voice—one intended to gain goodwill or to reduce hostility—can go a long way toward reconciling the squabbling parties. This makes not only common but etymological sense—both conciliatory and reconcile trace back to the Latin verb conciliare, meaning “to assemble, unite, or win over.” Reconcile can also be used when it’s facts, ideas, etc. that are being brought into agreement, and when financial accounts are checked against one another for accuracy. Reconcile is not all feel-good vibes, however. If you reconcile yourself to something unpleasant you come to accept it, as in “Even lexicographers must reconcile themselves to never knowing all the words.”

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Deep in Mexico’s forests, two Indigenous mycologists seek to reconcile the past and present while reimagining the future for themselves and a changing world. —Matthew Carey, Deadline, 6 May 2026 In nature, ecological processes tend to reconcile these extremes, converging on population sizes that sustain ecosystem health long-term — the sweet spot. —Paige Stein, Hartford Courant, 4 May 2026 The House and Senate had previously adopted a series of amendments to the state spending plan that needed to be reconciled. —The Denver Post, Denver Post, 2 May 2026 But Serkis’ sweetly queasy film can’t reconcile with the brutality of Orwell’s original writing. —Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 30 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for reconcile

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler

The first known use of reconcile was in the 14th century