conciliatory

adjective

con·​cil·​ia·​to·​ry kən-ˈsil-yə-ˌtȯr-ē 

-ˈsi-lē-ə-

: 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."

Synonyms

• appeasing
• conciliating
• disarming
• mollifying
• pacific
• pacifying
• peacemaking
• placating
• placatory
• propitiatory

Examples of conciliatory in a Sentence

eased the tension with conciliatory remarks

Recent Examples on the Web

Still, there were also hints of a more conciliatory approach to past enemies. —Damien Cave, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025

But Vietnam has taken a more conciliatory approach, even before the latest round of tariffs was announced. —Stephanie Yang, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2025

Ford said that a conciliatory call from Howard Lutnick, Trump’s commerce secretary, and the promise of an in-person meeting had convinced him to take a step back. —Chris Jones, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2025

Zelensky has been cultivating ties with European leaders and sending conciliatory messages to the White House. —Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 12 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1576, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for conciliatory

• accusatory
• admonitory
• ambulatory
• amendatory
• celebratory
• circulatory
• combinatory
• commendatory
• compensatory
• condemnatory
• confirmatory
• confiscatory

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