conciliate
Verb
Hard difficulty
What does “conciliate” mean?
verb.to stop someone from being angry or discontented; to placate.
SAT Usage
This term often appears in passages related to conflict resolution, diplomacy, or interpersonal relationships. It emphasizes active efforts to restore harmony and soothe tensions, distinguishing it from similar words like "appease," which may imply a more passive approach or yielding to demands rather than genuinely addressing underlying issues.
Common Confusions
Conciliate implies actively restoring peace and addressing underlying tensions, while appease usually suggests yielding to demands in order to maintain calm without genuinely resolving the underlying issues.
Example Sentences
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She tried to conciliate the two feuding parties peacefully.
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She brought pastries to conciliate the neighbors after the noisy party.
Word Parts: How to Remember “conciliate”
Break “conciliate” into its parts: co- (together, with). Knowing roots like these helps you decode unfamiliar SAT vocabulary.
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Prefix:
co-together, with (Latin)