reconciliation
11 synonyms and 3 antonyms for reconciliation, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — The restoration of friendly relations between people or groups who have been in conflict.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. noun
The restoration of friendly relations between people or groups who have been in conflict.
“After a decade of silence there was a reconciliation at their mother's funeral.”
Opposites
2. noun accounting
The process of comparing two sets of records or accounts to check that they agree, and identifying and correcting any differences.
“The monthly bank reconciliation flagged a duplicate payment.”
3. noun
The act of making two apparently conflicting ideas, accounts or requirements compatible with each other.
“The paper attempts a reconciliation of free will and determinism.”
How to use reconciliation
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
Neutral; the accounting and legislative senses are technical.
Etymology
From Latin reconciliare 'to bring together again, restore', from re- 'again' and conciliare 'to unite'.
Full origin of reconciliation →Frequently asked questions
What is a bank reconciliation?
It is a check that the cash balance in a company's own books matches the balance on its bank statement, once timing differences such as uncleared cheques are accounted for. Anything that will not reconcile points to an error, a missing entry or fraud.
What is the difference between reconciliation and forgiveness?
Forgiveness happens inside one person: letting go of resentment towards someone who wronged you. Reconciliation takes two, and means rebuilding the actual relationship. You can forgive someone entirely and still choose not to reconcile with them.
What does reconciliation mean in US politics?
Budget reconciliation is a special legislative procedure that lets certain tax and spending bills pass the Senate with a simple majority, bypassing the filibuster. The word here has nothing to do with peacemaking — it refers to bringing legislation into line with the budget resolution.