conciliatory
adjective
Colin DeppenDan Balz
Did you know?
If you are conciliatory towards someone, you're trying to win that person over to your side. The verb conciliate was borrowed into English in the mid-16th century and descends from the Latin verb conciliare, meaning "to assemble, unite, or win over." Conciliare, in turn, comes from Latin concilium, meaning "assembly" or "council." Conciliatory, which appeared in English a bit later in the 16th century, also traces back to conciliare. Another word that has conciliare as a root is reconcile, the earliest meaning of which is "to restore to friendship or harmony."
Examples of conciliatory in a Sentence
Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 15 Apr. 2025
The message had a more conciliatory tone compared with that of his boss, President Trump, who has vowed to take back the Panama Canal from Panama.
—Ellen Mitchell, The Hill, 8 Apr. 2025
Since then, Zelenskyy has been cultivating European ties and sending conciliatory messages to the White House.
—Eleanor Beardsley, NPR, 11 Mar. 2025
While conciliatory toward Putin, Trump recently also threatened new sanctions against Russia over its ceaseless attacks on Ukrainian cities.
—Jon Gambrell, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for conciliatory
Cite this Entry
“Conciliatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conciliatory. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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