APOLOGY • DICTIONARY ONE.COM • Definition of Apology

Add this Dictionary
to your website!
See more options...

/əpˈɑlədʒi/ Listen

noun

Apology n. (pl. apologies)

1.

Something said or written in defense or justification of what appears to others wrong, or of what may be liable to disapprobation; justification; as, Tertullian's Apology for Christianity. "It is not my intention to make an apology for my poem; some will think it needs no excuse, and others will receive none."

2.

An acknowledgment intended as an atonement for some improper or injurious remark or act; an admission to another of a wrong or discourtesy done him, accompanied by an expression of regret.

3.

Anything provided as a substitute; a makeshift. "He goes to work devising apologies for window curtains."

Synonyms: Excuse. An apology, in the original sense of the word, was a pleading off from some charge or imputation, by explaining and defending one's principles or conduct. It therefore amounted to a vindication. One who offers an apology, admits himself to have been, at least apparently, in the wrong, but brings forward some palliating circumstance, or tenders a frank acknowledgment, by way of reparation. We make an apology for some breach of propriety or decorum (like rude expressions, unbecoming conduct, etc.), or some deficiency in what might be reasonably expected. We offer an excuse when we have been guilty of some breach or neglect of duty; and we do it by way of extenuating our fault, and with a view to be forgiven. When an excuse has been accepted, an apology may still, in some cases, be necessary or appropriate. "An excuse is not grounded on the claim of innocence, but is rather an appeal for favor resting on some collateral circumstance. An apology mostly respects the conduct of individuals toward each other as equals; it is a voluntary act produced by feelings of decorum, or a desire for the good opinion of others."

verb

Apology v. i. To offer an apology. (Obs.) "For which he can not well apology."

See images of 'Apology'

Etymology of 'Apology'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

Share |

Add this dictionary
to your browser search bar

"Apology" Quotes from Famous Books

... said at last, "tell me of London and of the house which you have procured for me." With an apology for my remissness, I went into my own room to get the papers from my bag. Whilst I was placing them in order I heard a rattling of china and silver in the next room, and as I passed through, noticed that the table ...

— Dracula • Bram Stoker

... gesture as if to wave his apology aside. Then, with her hands clasped in front of her, scanning the ...

— The Yellow Streak • Williams, Valentine

... of this remarkable memorial is inserted in the older Collection universelle de memoires, xlv. 224-260. Its importance is so great, as reflecting the views of a mind so impartial and liberal as that of Chancellor L'Hospital, that I make no apology for the prominence I have given to it. Besides the omission of much that might be interesting, I have in places rather recapitulated than translated literally the striking remarks ...

— History of the Rise of the Huguenots - Volume 2 • Henry Baird

... by a sense of sin, if they did but eat a spoonful of cupboard jam without Mamma's express permission. . . . Would a modern Lucy, jealous of her sister Emily's doll, break out thus easily into tearful apology for her guilt: 'I know it is wicked in me to be sorry that Emily is happy, but I feel that I cannot help it'? And would a modern mother retort with heartfelt joy: 'My dear child, I am glad you have confessed. Now I shall tell you why you feel this wicked sorrow'?—proceeding ...

— The Art of the Story-Teller • Marie L. Shedlock

... words directly to Alaire. "Senora," he said, "I am a man of deep feeling and I scorn deceit. Therefore I offer no apology for my recent display of emotion. If I have seemed to press my advances with undue fervor, it is because, at heart, I am as great a lover as I am a statesman or a soldier. But there are other things than love. Nature constituted me a leader, and he who ...

— Heart of the Sunset • Rex Beach

Copyright © 2025 Dictionary One.com