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.

Many European officials have struck a conciliatory tone toward Mr. Trump. —

Jeanna Smialek, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2025 Advertisement World & Nation Disappointment at border as Trump cancels immigration program Jan. 20, 2025 Sheinbaum, a leftist who took office in October, adopted a conciliatory tone and did not directly criticize Trump. —

Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2025 But he's struck a more conciliatory tone recently as Amazon and other tech companies seek to improve their relationship with the incoming president. —

CBS News, 5 Jan. 2025 His gestures, however conciliatory, were not enough to satisfy Le Pen. —

Lauren Collins, The New Yorker, 7 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for conciliatory