reconciliation
noun
rec·on·cil·i·a·tion
ˌre-kən-ˌsi-lē-ˈā-shən 
1
: the action of reconciling : the state of being reconciled
2
: the Roman Catholic sacrament of penance
3
US government
: a legislative process that enables expedited passage of a bill relating to certain matters in the federal budget by a simple majority of votes
used reconciliation to repeal the bill passed during the prior session of Congress
Aides to senior House Republicans said Thursday that committee chairmen were meeting now to decide whether a budget plan … will include parliamentary language, known as reconciliation instructions, that would allow much of a Republican health care plan to pass the filibuster-prone Senate with a simple majority.—
Jonathan Weisman
Jonathan WeismanExamples of reconciliation in a Sentence
Signing the trade agreement was praised as an act of reconciliation between the two countries.
He contacted us in hopes of a reconciliation.
a reconciliation of opposing views
Recent Examples on the Web
Unless her future self thwarts the plan, Steiner will mail a copy of Empty Chair to her estranged relative in hopes of reconciliation.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 29 Jan. 2026
Zbur’s remarks referred to the administration’s proposals last year to add elements in a sweeping budget reconciliation package, which would have opened the door for more than 250 million acres of federal public land in Western states to be sold off or transferred into private hands.
—Chaewon Chung
updated January 28, Sacbee.com, 28 Jan. 2026
However, one thing that has happened to prepare me for season 50 is my recent reconciliation with my ex-wife.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Jan. 2026
The possibility of abuse does not vitiate the need, demonstrated over the course of centuries, for pardoning as both a remedy for problems within the criminal justice system and as a force for societal reconciliation.
—Bernadette Meyler, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for reconciliation
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Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 29 Jan. 2026
Zbur’s remarks referred to the administration’s proposals last year to add elements in a sweeping budget reconciliation package, which would have opened the door for more than 250 million acres of federal public land in Western states to be sold off or transferred into private hands.
—Chaewon Chung
updated January 28, Sacbee.com, 28 Jan. 2026
However, one thing that has happened to prepare me for season 50 is my recent reconciliation with my ex-wife.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Jan. 2026
The possibility of abuse does not vitiate the need, demonstrated over the course of centuries, for pardoning as both a remedy for problems within the criminal justice system and as a force for societal reconciliation.
—Bernadette Meyler, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for reconciliation
Cite this Entry
“Reconciliation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reconciliation. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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