reconciliation
rek-un-sil-ee-AY-shun
/ˌrɛkənsɪlɪˈeɪʃən/
The restoration of friendly relations between alienated groups or the process of making opposing ideas consistent.
Implies active healing after a period of estrangement, conflict, or deep controversy.
The story behind the word. From Latin 'reconciliare' (to re-assemble or win back), formed from 're-' (again) and 'conciliare' (to bring together, assemble). In medieval religious context, it referred to restoring repentant individuals to church communion, later expanding into political and personal peacemaking.
Word relationships
- rapprochement: Rapprochement refers primarily to diplomatic re-establishment of relations between nations, whereas reconciliation carries emotional, moral, or spiritual healing.
- harmonization: Harmonization focuses on aligning rules or doctrines, while reconciliation focuses on restoring trust between living people.
- estrangement: Estrangement is the state of being alienated from one another.
- alienation: Alienation is the feeling or state of separation and hostility.
Commonly confused with
- mediation: Mediation is the process guided by a neutral third party, whereas reconciliation is the desired end-state outcome of restored relationship.
Word family
- reconcile (verb): To restore friendly relations or make consistent.
- reconcilable (adjective): Capable of being brought into agreement or harmony.
Collocations
- national reconciliation
- process of reconciliation
- achieve reconciliation
- interreligious reconciliation
Idioms & expressions
- bury the hatchet
Example sentences
- "The Truth and Reconciliation Commission sought to repair social trust following decades of systematic injustice." Post-Conflict Studies
Memory hook
Re (again) + conciliate (council/bring together) = bringing people back together into council. Re-concile = council together again.
When not to use
Do not use when describing simple initial friendship; it requires a prior breach or division that is now being repaired.
Fun facts
- South Africa's post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 1995 became the global model for transitional justice worldwide.
Related words
Explore more words
reconcile, rapprochement, conciliation, conciliate, accord, mediate
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