What does reconciling mean?
Reconciling is the present-participle form of reconcile, meaning to resolve differences or restore agreement. It is commonly used for personal, social, and political conflicts, as when someone is reconciling disagreements between colleagues, communities, or opposing parties. The word can also apply to the process of making apparently incompatible information fit together, such as reconciling two sets of financial figures or reconciling a story’s claims with the available evidence. In relationships, reconciling often implies repairing trust or reconnecting after a period of conflict. The term carries a generally constructive and conciliatory connotation: it suggests deliberate effort, communication, and compromise rather than simply ignoring a disagreement. Its usefulness lies in expressing both interpersonal harmony and the broader task of making conflicting accounts or principles compatible.
To resolve differences or disagreements, especially between people, groups, or opposing viewpoints.
"They are reconciling their differences before returning to work."
Often used in contexts involving mediation, negotiation, conflict resolution, or the restoration of relationships.
Conciliatory or intended to make peace between opposing people or positions.
"The ambassador offered a reconciling gesture during the tense meeting."
Less common than the verbal use; it characterizes a person, gesture, or approach as peace-making or conciliatory.
To reconcile is to bring together what seemed destined to remain apart.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does reconciling come from?
The word derives from Latin reconciliare, meaning “to reconcile” or “restore to agreement,” and entered English through Old French reconcilier. The underlying Latin formation uses the prefix re-, indicating restoration or repetition, together with elements associated with bringing together or making whole. Modern English developed several related forms, including reconciliation, reconcilable, and irreconcilable.
Related word forms
How reconciling is actually used
The word is formal but widely used. It can describe settling personal or political disputes, as well as making numerical, factual, or conceptual discrepancies consistent.
Easily confused with reconciling
Reconcile is the base verb; reconciling is its present-participle form, as in a sentence describing an ongoing process.
Reconciliation is the noun naming the process or its result, whereas reconciling describes the act of making peace or resolving differences.