apologize
verb
Did you know?
Does apologize always mean "to say 'I'm sorry'"?
The verb apologize is a surprisingly recent introduction to the English language when one stops to consider that we have likely been committing deeds which require an apology since time immemorial. Our earliest current record of use comes at the end of the 16th century, in the writing of Thomas Nash:
”….but as the Elephant and the Rinoceros neuer fight but about the best pastures, so will I winne from him his best Patrons, and driue him to confesse himselfe a Conundrum, who now thinks he hath learning inough to proue the saluation of Lucifer; Apologize it for him as many Chutes, Barnesses, or vile riggers, or Fregeuiles as there will.”
The earliest uses of apologize more often meant “to offer an excuse or defense” than “to acknowledge a fault.” The verb came into our language from the noun apology, which similarly had an initial meaning (beginning in the early 16th century) that did not necessarily acknowledge fault (“something said or written in defense or justification of what appears to others to be wrong or of what may be liable to disapprobation”).
Examples of apologize in a Sentence
Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Mar. 2025
Ramirez-Rosa later apologized to Mitts and survived the censure push, but there was bad blood over his treatment of the veteran African American alderman.
—Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2025
In a post to Reddit, a worried father asked for advice after his 13-year-old's simple request wound up in an argument, with his daughter ordered to apologize, his wife banned from the school grounds, and the school attorney becoming involved.
—Russel Honoré, Newsweek, 5 Mar. 2025
Wilson later apologized to Obama, who accepted the apology.
—Dan Mangan, CNBC, 5 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for apologize
Cite this Entry
“Apologize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apologize. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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apologize
verb
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