apology
Americannoun
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apologies
plural
-
a written or spoken expression of one's regret, remorse, or sorrow for having insulted, failed, injured, or wronged another.
He demanded an apology from me for calling him a crook.
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a defense, excuse, or justification in speech or writing, as for a cause or doctrine.
- Synonyms:
- vindication
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(initial capital letter, italics) a dialogue by Plato, centering on Socrates' defense before the tribunal that condemned him to death.
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an inferior specimen or substitute; makeshift.
The tramp wore a sad apology for a hat.
noun
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an oral or written expression of regret or contrition for a fault or failing
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a poor substitute or offering
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another word for apologia
Synonym Usage
See excuse.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of apology
First recorded in 1500–50; earlier apologie, late Middle English (from Middle French ), from Late Latin apologia, from Greek apología, “speech in self-defense; defense,” see apologia
Explanation
An apology is what you say or do when you want to let someone know (or fool them into thinking) that you regret something. An apology is nice, but chocolates or large bundles of cash are nicer. Always. The noun apology has its roots in the Greek apologos, meaning a story. It entered the English language in the Middle Ages. If you broke your friend’s sword and then made up an elaborate story to get out of trouble, that was an apology. After a few decades, the general sense of the word shifted to its current meaning — what you say when you want to express real remorse.
Vocabulary lists containing apology
Two-Faced Words: Contronyms
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
On Tuesday, Charles attempted a balancing act, calling out a “shameful chapter of history…that fills my heart with horror” but stopping short of a formal apology.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026
The UK royal family benefited from the trade but Charles is politically neutral and is not expected to offer an apology.
From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026
"A formal apology," Miliband said in a social media video, external, is something "the British government are open to".
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has suggested there could be some form of apology over slavery, but has ruled out financial reparations.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
I was going to give her an excuse, an apology I worked on all afternoon at the machines, but I tell her the truth instead.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
CCTV's sports website later reported that CMG had acknowledged the apologies, but it remains unclear whether talks to defuse the situation have begun.
From Barron's ● Oct. 31, 2026
A senior royal aide said that the King would "not shy away from the darkest days of our past" but stressed that decisions over apologies and reparations were matters for government.
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026
My apologies to all those running the private health insurers.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026
Sadly, airplanes are the new Greyhound buses—with apologies to Greyhound.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026
“You must make my apologies to your friend; but so good a charade must not be confined to one or two. He may be sure of every woman’s approbation while he writes with such gallantry.”
From "Emma" by Jane Austen
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
