reconcile

reconcile — verb

1. to manage two opposing ideas, needs, or situations so that they can exist togeth

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to manage two opposing ideas, needs, or situations so that they can exist together without conflict.

Example

Tomás tried to reconcile his religious beliefs with the latest scientific discoveries.

reconcile + belief with + discovery

The manager struggled to reconcile the company's profit targets with employee welfare concerns.

Common collocations
  • reconcile beliefs with facts
  • reconcile demands with resources
  • reconcile two accounts
  • reconcile differences
  • reconcile views
Synonyms
  • harmonise

    More musical/aesthetic connotation; less common in everyday speech

  • square

    Informal; 'square A with B' — suggests mental effort to find consistency

Antonyms
  • oppose

    to put things into conflict rather than harmony

  • contradict

    describes a logical impossibility, not an act of resolving

Grammar Patterns

reconcile A with B

reconcile A and B

Usage Note

Most common in formal or academic contexts where competing principles, data, or requirements must be brought into harmony. The objects are typically abstract — beliefs, facts, demands, or accounts — not people.

Common Mistakes

We reconciled the two departments after the merger.
We integrated the two departments after the merger.
Use 'reconcile' for ideas or systems, not for groups of people (which belongs to sense 2).
He reconciled the argument by apologising.
He reconciled with his friend after the argument by apologising.
The direct object of 'reconcile' is not the disagreement itself; use 'settle' or 'resolve' for arguments.

2. to become friendly with someone again after a disagreement or argument.

2.verbtransitive / intransitiveB1
Definition

to become friendly with someone again after a disagreement or argument.

Example

Naoko and Padma finally reconciled after their argument over the school project.

intransitive: reconcile after [event]

The two brothers were reconciled after a long and honest conversation about their childhood.

passive: be reconciled after [event]

Common collocations
  • reconcile with a friend
  • reconcile with family
  • reconcile after a dispute
  • be reconciled to each other
  • reconcile differences
Synonyms
  • make up

    Informal; focuses on the emotional resolution rather than the process

  • bury the hatchet

    Idiomatic, slightly old-fashioned; means to stop being angry

  • settle differences

    Neutral; emphasises resolving specific disagreements

Antonyms
  • fall out

    to stop being friends because of a disagreement

  • estrange

    formal; describes becoming distant or alienated

Grammar Patterns

reconcile with someone

be reconciled with someone

reconcile two people

Usage Note

Frequently appears in passive form ('they were reconciled') or as an intransitive verb ('they reconciled'). The transitive use ('A reconciled B and C') means A helped B and C become friends again, not that A argued with them.

Common Mistakes

We reconciled the problem and moved on.
We reconciled after the problem and moved on.
The object of this sense is a person or relationship, not a problem or issue.
She reconciled her sister after the fight.
She helped her sister reconcile with their mother after the fight.
When used transitively, the subject is usually a third party who facilitates the peace, not one of the people involved.

3. to accept an unpleasant or unwelcome situation because you realise you cannot ch

3.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to accept an unpleasant or unwelcome situation because you realise you cannot change it.

Example

Wren reconciled himself to the fact that he would never become a professional musician.

reconcile oneself to + noun phrase

The islanders gradually reconciled themselves to the reality of rising sea levels.

Common collocations
  • reconcile oneself to the fact that
  • reconcile oneself to the idea of
  • be reconciled to living with
  • finally reconcile oneself to
Synonyms
Antonyms
  • resist

    to actively oppose a situation rather than accept it

  • deny

    to refuse to acknowledge an unpleasant truth

Grammar Patterns

reconcile oneself to something

be reconciled to something

Usage Note

This sense almost always requires either a reflexive pronoun ('reconcile oneself to') or the passive form ('be reconciled to'). Without these structures, the sentence will likely be read as sense 1 or 2. Often used with 'finally', 'gradually', or 'had to' to signal reluctant acceptance over time.

Common Mistakes

She reconciled to the cold weather.
She reconciled herself to the cold weather.
Sense 3 requires a reflexive pronoun or passive form; without it, the sentence sounds incomplete.
He reconciled his job loss.
He reconciled himself to his job loss.
The direct object of sense 3 must be a reflexive pronoun; the situation follows after 'to'.