reconciliation

[rek-uhn-sil-ee-ey-shuhn]

noun

1. the act of coming to an understanding and putting an end to hostility, as when former enemies agree to an amicable truce.

   Thirty years later, the rebel son is seeking reconciliation with his mother and sister.

   Reconciliation between the government and the Indigenous community will take more than pleasant words.

2. the state of being resigned to something undesirable, or the process of achieving this state; acceptance.

   Telling them about her son as he was before the accident gave her a sense of peace and reconciliation with her loss.

3. the act or process of making consistent or compatible.

   There is a tension between justice and mercy, and their reconciliation is not easy or obvious.

4. the act or process of verifying one account or set of figures with another to ensure or test for accuracy.

   Reconciliation of the sum of money received and the number of tickets sold revealed a few reporting errors.

5. U.S. Government.,  a Congressional procedure under which a simple majority of votes in the Senate is enough to pass legislation relating to the federal budget: used in order to avoid a potential filibuster.

Reconciliation

/ ˌrɛkənˌsɪlɪˈeɪʃən /

noun

1. RC Church a sacrament in which repentant sinners are absolved and gain reconciliation with God and the Church, on condition of confession of their sins to a priest and of performing a penance

Other Word Forms

• nonreconciliation noun
• prereconciliation noun
• proreconciliation adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of reconciliation¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English reconsiliacion, from Latin reconciliātiōn-, stem of reconciliātiō “renewal, restoration,” from reconciliāt(us) “restored, reunited” (past participle of reconciliāre “to repair, restore, reunite”; reconcile ) + -iō -ion

Example Sentences

The Duke of Sussex has suggested people are trying to sabotage his reconciliation with King Charles, as he described media reports about their recent meeting as "categorically false".

From BBC

Upon his death aged 84 in 2017, Irish President Michael D Higgins said Rooney was "deeply committed to Ireland" and that his contributions to peace and reconciliation had left a "real and tangible legacy".

From BBC

Ahead of Wednesday's apology, Mette Frederiksen issued a statement outlining plans to establish a "reconciliation fund", but it is not yet clear how many women this would be offered to, or when this would happen.

From BBC

It also provided a glimpse of a Republican Party at a fork in the road, weighing a choice between forgiveness and retribution; reconciliation and conflict.

From BBC

Palestinian politics has ossified in the meantime, leaving most Palestinians cynical about their leadership and pessimistic about the chances of any kind of internal reconciliation, let alone progress towards statehood.

From BBC

Related Words

• accord 
• agreement 
• compromise 
• harmony 
• rapprochement 
• settlement 

When To Use

What does reconciliation mean?

Reconciliation is the process of two people or groups in a conflict agreeing to make amends or come to a truce.Reconciliation is also the name of a Catholic sacrament involving the confession of sin. Less commonly, reconciliation refers to when someone accepts an undesirable situation, or to the process of making things compatible.Example: After years of conflict, the two parties have agreed to meet with the goal of reconciliation.