reconcile
REK-uhn-sile
/ˈrekənsaɪl/
To restore friendly relations between; to make one account consistent with another.
Reconcile can be personal (friends making up) or technical (making sure two sets of numbers match).
The story behind the word. From the Latin 'reconciliare,' meaning 'to bring together again.' The root 'concilium' (council) suggests bringing people into the same meeting room again.
Word relationships
- harmonize: Harmonize is more about making things sound or look good together; reconcile is about resolving a conflict.
- estrange: To cause someone to be no longer friendly or close.
Commonly confused with
- conciliate: Conciliate is to stop someone from being angry; reconcile is to bring them back into a relationship.
Word family
- reconciliation (noun): The restoration of friendly relations.
- reconcilable (adjective): Capable of being reconciled.
Collocations
- reconcile differences
- reconcile accounts
- become reconciled
Example sentences
- "After years of silence, the two brothers finally reconciled." Personal relationships.
- "It took hours to reconcile the bank statement with my own records." Financial context.
Memory hook
Reconcile = 'Re-Council'. You bring the people back to the council table to talk. Bringing back together.
When not to use
Don't use this if only one side is involved; reconciliation requires two parties to come together.
Fun facts
- In accounting, 'reconciliation' is the process of ensuring that two sets of records are in agreement.
Explore more words
reconciliation, harmonize, conciliation, conciliate, rapprochement, amicable
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