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.

The author is a little more conciliatory now, sharing his own experience growing up as a comics fan in the late '60s and being surrounded by fellow enthusiasts for the underdog art form. —

Christian Holub, EW.com, 28 Oct. 2024 Other left-leaning aldermen who did not sign the 41-person letter ripping Johnson for the schools fight struck a more conciliatory tone. —

Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 21 Oct. 2024 Selleck, who plays NYPD Police Commissioner Frank Reagan, was less conciliatory in past comments. —

Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 18 Oct. 2024 Despite the brief threat to its marquee event, the company struck a conciliatory tone in its Monday statement about the talks. —

Katie Kilkenny, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for conciliatory