Reconcile – restart a relationship
(Pronounced reh-kon-sile)
Reconcile means to restart a relationship – usually after an argument or disagreement between the people involved.
To remember the definition of the word reconcile, use the following mnemonic:
She wrecked a console (reconcile) belonging to her brother, but they restarted talking (were reconciled) when she bought him a new one.
Sometimes, when two people or two countries have fallen out with each other, they may go through a process of reconciliation (they are reconciled).
Reconcile is also used in relation to finding a way in which opposing situations or beliefs can exist together. For instance, it is sometimes difficult to reconcile science and religion.
Reconcile is also used by bookkeepers and accountants to describe the process of checking that two account records agree with each other.
Examples of reconcile in a sentence
The two vicars were reconciled after a bitter dispute over the interpretation of a Bible passage.
Tim realised he had to reconcile his dislike of capitalism with the fact that he needed to earn some money.
Mary had a difficult time trying to reconcile the company's income and expenditure accounts.
