apologetic
Americanadjective
-
expressing or anxious to make apology; contrite
-
protecting or defending in speech or writing
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of apologetic
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English apologetik “a formal defense,” from Middle French or directly from Late Latin apologēticus “written defense, defensive,” Greek apologētikós “fit for defense,” equivalent to apologē- (variant stem of apologeîsthai “to speak in defense”; see apologia) + -tikos -tic
Explanation
If you're apologetic, you're very sorry about something. You might offer an apologetic smile at another driver if you accidentally honk at her. Someone who's apologetic is regretful or contrite, and usually openly expresses this feeling in some way. An apologetic note might say, "I am so sorry I picked all the flowers off your rose bush!" Apologetic was originally a noun, and its meaning in the 1600s was much closer to "justification" than "apology." It comes from a Greek root, apologetikos, "defensible." It didn't come to mean "regretfully acknowledging failure" until 1855.
Vocabulary lists containing apologetic
Feeling Sorry?
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myPerspectives 6.3
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -ic
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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.
Reception staff at the hotel were apologetic, Nowell said, but they could not explain how the incident had happened.
From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026
And when I spoke to Bisognano the day of the Virginia referendum, there was a lightly apologetic undertone to the conversation.
From Slate • Apr. 22, 2026
Too often, it arrives over-mashed and under-seasoned — pale, pasty, faintly apologetic.
From Salon • Apr. 14, 2026
Sonny finds himself tripping over his ineptitude and tangled up in conflicting sympathies—he’s almost as anxious as his hostages, whom he treats with an apologetic kindliness, almost like a party crasher who’s broken a vase.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026
The boy on the right side in Ben’s line received the ball from Coach Spinks, took one tentative, almost apologetic dribble toward the basket, then stopped and looked for his partner.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
Definitions 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.
