CONCILIATORY

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does conciliatory mean? 

• CONCILIATORY (adjective)
  The adjective CONCILIATORY has 2 senses:

1. making or willing to make concessions

2. intended to placate

  Familiarity information: CONCILIATORY used as an adjective is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CONCILIATORY (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Making or willing to make concessions

Synonyms:

compromising; conciliatory; flexible

Context example:

loneliness tore through him...whenever he thought of...even the compromising Louis du Tillet

Similar:

yielding (tending to give in or surrender or agree)

Derivation:

conciliate (come to terms)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Intended to placate

Synonyms:

conciliative; conciliatory

Context example:

a conciliatory visit

Similar:

appeasing; placating; placative; placatory (intended to pacify by acceding to demands or granting concessions)

pacific (promoting peace)

propitiative; propitiatory (intended to reconcile or appease)

soft (willing to negotiate and compromise)

Antonym:

antagonistic (arousing animosity or hostility)

Derivation:

conciliate (come to terms)

 Context examples 

He was so extremely conciliatory in his manner that he seemed to apologize to the very newspaper for taking the liberty of reading it.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

You will make more progress by being cooperative and conciliatory.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

And I do not think it of light importance that he should have attentive and conciliatory manners towards everybody, especially towards those to whom he owes his preferment.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

The possibility of some conciliatory message from the general occurred to her as his daughter appeared.

(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)

"Good evening, Miss Jo. How does Amy get on?" asked May with a conciliatory air, for she wanted to show that she also could be generous.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

Mr. Spenlow seemed quite cowed by the gentlemanly sternness of Miss Murdstone's manner, and deprecated her severity with a conciliatory little wave of his hand.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

You will do best by being conciliatory rather than by taking over and assuming the lead.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

As there was something which had occurred to my mind, I said in reply: “I could wish to know from this—creature,” I could not bring myself to utter any more conciliatory word, “whether they intercepted a letter that was written to her from home, or whether he supposes that she received it.”

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)