Reconciled

Reconciled is the past tense and past participle of reconcile. It also functions as an adjective describing someone or something that has been brought back into harmony, agreement, or compatibility. The verb reconcile can mean to restore friendly relations between people, to settle a disagreement, or to make two or more things consistent with one another, such as aligning financial records with statements.

Etymology and usage: Reconcile derives from Old French reconcilier, which in turn comes from Latin reconciliare, meaning to bring together again. In everyday language, reconciled is used in diverse contexts, including personal relationships, finance, and religion. For example, two parties may be reconciled after mediation, a company’s accounts may be reconciled to reflect accurate balances, or a believer may be reconciled with the divine through a sacramental rite in some religious traditions.

Contexts: Interpersonal reconciliation often involves forgiveness, compromise, and renewed trust. Financial reconciliation involves comparing data from different sources (such as a ledger and a bank statement) to ensure consistency. Religious or philosophical reconciliation may address harmonizing beliefs with evidence, ethics, or past actions.

Related terms include reconciliation, reconcile, and reconciliatory. The term is commonly used across disciplines to denote restoration of harmony or consistency, whether between people, data sets, or belief systems.