What does reconcile mean?
Reconcile means to make compatible or to restore harmony after conflict. It is commonly transitive, taking the people, accounts, aims, or other items involved, and it can also be used intransitively with “with.” Saying that a mediator reconciled two parties emphasizes the settlement of disagreement, while reconciling a budget with a design means adjusting or interpreting them so that they can coexist. The verb has a formal, practical tone and is more exact than a general word such as “fix.” In accounts and administration, “reconcile” has a technical sense: comparing records to identify and resolve discrepancies. Its reassuring implication is that conflict need not always require one side to concede everything; reconciliation often means finding a workable agreement. The word is useful because it combines moral and interpersonal meanings with the concrete task of making separate things fit together.
verbTo make apparently conflicting people, accounts, aims, or other things compatible or mutually acceptable. It can also mean restoring harmony after a disagreement or settling a difference.
- To restore friendly or cooperative relations after a disagreement.
- To settle differences between people, groups, or positions.
- To make apparently incompatible aims, facts, or requirements compatible.
- To compare records or accounts and resolve any discrepancies between them.
"The committee worked hard to reconcile the architects’ plans with the available budget."
"She reconciled with her brother after several years of estrangement."
"The auditor reconciled the bank statement with the company’s accounting records."
To reconcile is to make two things fit again—whether two people, two accounts, or two plans.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does reconcile come from?
The word entered English in the early 17th century from French reconcilier, which was derived from Latin reconciliare, “to restore to harmony” or “reconcile.” The Latin verb is associated with re-, meaning “again,” and con-, meaning “together,” expressing the idea of bringing parties or things together again. Related English formations include conciliation and conciliate.
Related word forms
How reconcile is actually used
Standard in formal and professional English, though in less formal contexts “sort out” can convey a similar idea. The construction “reconcile with” may mean restoring relations or accepting an unpleasant situation; context determines which meaning is intended.