conciliate
/kənˈsɪlɪeɪt
/verb [with object]
1Stop (someone) being angry or discontented; placate: concessions were made to conciliate the peasantry...
- He conciliated the people by his affability, brought in Englishmen to teach various handicrafts and tried to help the farmers by improving the breed of Manx horses, and, at the same time, he restricted the exactions of the Church.
- The strain of her heavy-drinking lifestyle, increased by having to conciliate her husband, Reeves, who hung around February House like a piece of driftwood, was taking its toll.
- Treating Islam as an aberration because of its views on martyrdom is bound to antagonise rather than conciliate Muslims.
Synonyms
appease, placate, pacify, mollify, propitiate, assuage, calm down, soothe, humour, reconcile, disarm, win over, make peace with;
Australian square someone off
informal sweeten
1.1 [no object] Act as a mediator: he sought to conciliate in the dispute...
- I will give you just an example - I mean, there are some words to avoid when you are mediating or conciliating.
- As we have seen, it has a conciliation function through its conciliation officers with regard to cases brought in employment tribunals, but also seeks to conciliate in trade disputes.
- In such cases the CEC then has power to investigate, mediate, or conciliate between the parties to see whether a mutually satisfactory solution can be agreed.
Synonyms
mediate, act as a peacemaker, act as a mediator, arbitrate, make peace, restore harmony, reconcile differences, clear the air;
pour oil on troubled waters
1.2 formal Reconcile; make compatible: all complaints about charges will be conciliated if possible...
- You are all the time trying to conciliate rival claims.
- This suggests that the government hopes to be able to conciliate GM crops with organic farming by including specified separation distances (still undecided) between the new and conventional organic crops.
- And racism is conciliated if not actively promoted by the Democratic focus on winning more white voters by moving to the right while taking voters of color virtually for granted.
2 archaic Gain (esteem or goodwill): the arts which conciliate popularity...
- Their function is, to prepare the minds of the young, "to conciliate goodwill, so that they will readily accept the prescriptions of the law."
- For an urban environment, where you're trying to conciliate goodwill from the population, I could certainly see the resentment that not putting people on the street would cause.
- Though this was hardly likely to conciliate Louis' goodwill, it gave him at least the status of belonging to a definite party.
Derivatives
conciliative
/ adjective ...- The system of arbitral and conciliative intervention was seen from the outset of last century to be a revolutionary measure imbedded by the Australian Constitution in the Commonwealth Federation.
- An immersion experience at the Irish School of Ecumenics offers theological study, a European view of ecumenism, and insight into the possibilities and pitfalls of conciliative efforts.
- They offer both wranglers a conciliative solution, which combines the best of both worlds and seemingly has only advantages for everybody.
conciliatoriness
Origin
Mid 16th century (in sense 2): from Latin conciliat- 'combined, gained', from the verb conciliare, from concilium (see council).
Rhymes
- warp factor
- warplane
- war poet
- warp speed
- warragal
- warrant
- warrantability
- warrantable
- warrantableness
- warrantably
- warrant card
- warrantee
- warranter
- warrantless
- warrant officer
- warrant of fitness
- warrantor
- warranty
- warranty deed
- warren
- Warren, Earl
- warrener
- Warren, Mercy Otis
- Warren, Robert Penn
- warrigal