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reconcile

REK-uhn-syl /ˈrekənsaɪl/

verbC1GRESATTOEFL

formalpersonalfinancial

To restore friendly relations between; to make one view or belief compatible with another; to make financial accounts match.

Reconcile implies that there was a previous state of harmony that was broken and is now being restored.

The story behind the word. From 're-' (again) and 'conciliare' (to make friendly). The root 'concilium' means 'council' or 'meeting', so it literally means to bring someone back into the meeting or group.

Word relationships

harmonize: Harmonize emphasizes making things sound or look good together; reconcile emphasizes resolving a conflict.
resolve: Resolve is more general; reconcile specifically involves bringing two opposing sides back together.

estrange: To cause someone to be no longer friendly or close to another.
alienate: To make someone feel isolated or hostile.

Commonly confused with

rectify: Rectify means to put something right or correct an error; reconcile means to make two things compatible.

Word family

reconciliation (noun): The restoration of friendly relations.

Collocations

reconcile differences
reconcile accounts
reconcile oneself to (accepting a bad situation)
attempt to reconcile

Example sentences

"After years of silence, the two brothers finally managed to reconcile their differences at their sister's wedding." Interpersonal conflict
"It is difficult to reconcile the concept of a benevolent God with the existence of widespread suffering." Philosophy

Memory hook

RECONCILE: RE-connect and CON-ciliate (make peace). Bringing back to the council.

When not to use

Don't use for simply 'fixing' something; it specifically applies to relationships, ideas, or numbers.

Fun facts

In accounting, 'reconciling' a bank statement means ensuring the bank's records and your own records match perfectly.