apologetics

[uh-pol-uh-jet-iks]

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

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

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