A*pol"o*gy (&?;), v. i. To offer an apology. [Obs.]
For which he
can not well apology.
J. Webster.
A*pol"o*gy (&?;), n.;
pl. Apologies. [L.
apologia, Gr. &?;; &?; from + &?;: cf. F. apologie. See Apologetic.]
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.
Dryden.
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.
Dickens.
Syn. -- 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."
Crabb.
Hear it pronounced