reconcile

reconcile — verb

1. to manage two opposing ideas, needs, or situations so that they can exist togeth

1.動詞及物B2
釋義

to manage two opposing ideas, needs, or situations so that they can exist together without conflict.

例句

Tomás tried to reconcile his religious beliefs with the latest scientific discoveries.

reconcile + belief with + discovery

The manager struggled to reconcile the company's profit targets with employee welfare concerns.

同義詞
  • harmonise

    More musical/aesthetic connotation; less common in everyday speech

  • square

    Informal; 'square A with B' — suggests mental effort to find consistency

反義詞
  • oppose

    to put things into conflict rather than harmony

  • contradict

    describes a logical impossibility, not an act of resolving

文法句型

reconcile A with B

reconcile A and B

用法筆記

Most common in formal or academic contexts where competing principles, data, or requirements must be brought into harmony. The objects are typically abstract — beliefs, facts, demands, or accounts — not people.

常見錯誤

❌We reconciled the two departments after the merger.
✅We integrated the two departments after the merger.
💡Use 'reconcile' for ideas or systems, not for groups of people (which belongs to sense 2).
❌He reconciled the argument by apologising.
✅He reconciled with his friend after the argument by apologising.
💡The direct object of 'reconcile' is not the disagreement itself; use 'settle' or 'resolve' for arguments.

2. to become friendly with someone again after a disagreement or argument.

2.動詞及物 / 不及物B1
釋義

to become friendly with someone again after a disagreement or argument.

例句

Naoko and Padma finally reconciled after their argument over the school project.

intransitive: reconcile after [event]

The two brothers were reconciled after a long and honest conversation about their childhood.

passive: be reconciled after [event]

同義詞
  • make up

    Informal; focuses on the emotional resolution rather than the process

  • bury the hatchet

    Idiomatic, slightly old-fashioned; means to stop being angry

  • settle differences

    Neutral; emphasises resolving specific disagreements

反義詞
  • fall out

    to stop being friends because of a disagreement

  • estrange

    formal; describes becoming distant or alienated

文法句型

reconcile with someone

be reconciled with someone

reconcile two people

用法筆記

Frequently appears in passive form ('they were reconciled') or as an intransitive verb ('they reconciled'). The transitive use ('A reconciled B and C') means A helped B and C become friends again, not that A argued with them.

常見錯誤

❌We reconciled the problem and moved on.
✅We reconciled after the problem and moved on.
💡The object of this sense is a person or relationship, not a problem or issue.
❌She reconciled her sister after the fight.
✅She helped her sister reconcile with their mother after the fight.
💡When used transitively, the subject is usually a third party who facilitates the peace, not one of the people involved.

3. to accept an unpleasant or unwelcome situation because you realise you cannot ch

3.動詞及物B2
釋義

to accept an unpleasant or unwelcome situation because you realise you cannot change it.

例句

Wren reconciled himself to the fact that he would never become a professional musician.

reconcile oneself to + noun phrase

The islanders gradually reconciled themselves to the reality of rising sea levels.

同義詞
反義詞
  • resist

    to actively oppose a situation rather than accept it

  • deny

    to refuse to acknowledge an unpleasant truth

文法句型

reconcile oneself to something

be reconciled to something

用法筆記

This sense almost always requires either a reflexive pronoun ('reconcile oneself to') or the passive form ('be reconciled to'). Without these structures, the sentence will likely be read as sense 1 or 2. Often used with 'finally', 'gradually', or 'had to' to signal reluctant acceptance over time.

常見錯誤

❌She reconciled to the cold weather.
✅She reconciled herself to the cold weather.
💡Sense 3 requires a reflexive pronoun or passive form; without it, the sentence sounds incomplete.
❌He reconciled his job loss.
✅He reconciled himself to his job loss.
💡The direct object of sense 3 must be a reflexive pronoun; the situation follows after 'to'.