conciliatory

adjective

con·cil·ia·to·ry kən-ˈsil-yə-ˌtȯr-ē

-ˈsi-lē-ə-

Synonyms of conciliatory next

: intended to gain goodwill or favor or to reduce hostility : tending or intended to conciliate

speaking in a conciliatory tone

But while the conference call might have been seen as a conciliatory gesture, an olive branch to his critics after weeks of bitter back-and-forth, the meeting seemed anything but.—

Colin Deppen

He was self-assured, aggressive, combative, at times willing to offend and at times trying to sound conciliatory.—

Dan 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

eased the tension with conciliatory remarks

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

In his victory speech, Orsi struck a conciliatory tone. —

Nayara Batschke The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 25 Nov. 2024 After all, the Academy Awards have a long history of reflecting or commenting on the nation’s political zeitgeist, sometimes defiant, other times conciliatory. —

Clayton Davis, Variety, 21 Nov. 2024 Jaleel White Reveals That Playing Steve Urkel on Family Matters Left His Voice Damaged for Years But during a 2023 90s Con panel moderated by PEOPLE's Breanne Heldman, both Payton and VelJohnson sounded a much more conciliatory note. —

John Russell, People.com, 19 Nov. 2024 Two young lads — one English, one Spanish — show how it should be done by sharing a conciliatory chat. —

Tim Spiers, The Athletic, 15 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for conciliatory