Apologetic
//əˌpɑləˈd͡ʒɛtɪk// adj, noun
adj, noun ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A formal apology. archaic, countable
- 2 A defensive method of argument. countable, plural, uncountable, usually
Adjective
- 1 Having the character of apology; regretfully excusing.
"His tone was apologetic as he explained what had happened."
- 2 Defending by words or arguments; said or written in defense. dated
Adjective
- 1 offering or expressing apology wordnet
Antonyms
All antonymsExample
More examples"He was very apologetic for the mistake."
Etymology
From French apologétique, from Latin apologēticus, from Ancient Greek ἀπολογητικός (apologētikós, “of or suitable for defense”), from ἀπολογέομαι (apologéomai, “to speak in defense of”); see more at English apology.
Related phrases
More for "apologetic"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.