reckoning

[ rek-uh-ning ]

noun

1. count; computation; calculation.
2. the settlement of accounts, as between two companies.
3. a statement of an amount due; bill.
4. an accounting, as for things received or done.

   Synonyms: retribution, judgment

5. an appraisal or judgment.
6. Navigation. dead reckoning.
7. day of reckoning.

reckoning

/ ˈrɛkənɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of counting or calculating
2. settlement of an account or bill
3. a bill or account
4. retribution for one's actions (esp in the phrase day of reckoning )
5. nautical short for dead reckoning

Other Words From

• pre·reckon·ing noun
• self-reckon·ing adjective noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of reckoning¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English; reckon + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

The governor’s shuffle, in Madrid’s view, personifies a reckoning happening within a Democratic Party focused on identity politics in 2024 without realizing that Trump was winning over voters on economic issues.

From Los Angeles Times

But it’s many movies in one — a screwball comedy, a tense reckoning with reality, a story of wealth and power, a tender love story.

From Los Angeles Times

Some workers were still reckoning their losses months later.

From New York Times

Its emergence coincided with several major events that have fueled a wider reckoning of South Korea’s gender inequalities in the workplace and violence against women.

From Los Angeles Times

The reckoning that needed to happen by the media in its normalizing of this man will now be replaced by the effort to hang on for dear life as the retribution begins.

From Salon

Related Words

• calculation
• estimation