apologetics

[ uh-pol-uh-jet-iks ]

/ əˌpɒl əˈdʒɛt ɪks /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR apologetics ON THESAURUS.COM

noun (used with a singular verb)

the branch of theology concerned with the defense or proof of Christianity.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

apollonius dyscolus, apollonius of perga, apollonius of rhodes, apollyon, apologetic, apologetics, apologia, apologia pro vita sua, apologist, apologize, apologue

Origin of apologetics

First recorded in 1725–35; see origin at apologetic, -ics

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for apologetics

I know that some of you are going to call this Obama apologetics, but you know what?
The NSA Program and the Law|Michael Tomasky|June 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
I'm not so worried that the oligarchs will pay for apologetics on their behalf.
All Good Things...|David Frum|June 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
And Obama has worked to push American foreign policy beyond Carterite apologetics or Bushesque saber-rattling.
Carter Is Worse Than Clint|Gil Troy|September 4, 2012|DAILY BEAST
But that is not an unusual feature of Christian apologetics.
The Churches and Modern Thought|Philip Vivian

Under such conditions there is little scope for apologetics.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 3|Various
The atmosphere of apologetics begins to appear in what its friends have to say about it.
The Library and Society|Various
It is amusing to look back on some of the lines of apologetics in recent years.
The War and the Churches|Joseph McCabe
Vain without it, worse than vain, will be the most diligent and successful study of the apologetics of the Bible.
To My Younger Brethren|Handley C. G. Moule

British Dictionary definitions for apologetics

apologetics

/ (əˌpɒləˈdʒɛtɪks) /

noun (functioning as singular)

the branch of theology concerned with the defence and rational justification of Christianity

a defensive method of argument

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012