apology
- 01 B1 Intermediate
a statement that you are sorry for hurting someone or making a mistake.
an expression of remorse or regret for a perceived fault, injury, or insult.
Simple“He sent a sincere apology to his colleague after missing the deadline.”
In context“The CEO issued a public apology to the shareholders, acknowledging that the company's recent communication had been misleading.”
UsageCommonly used with the verbs 'offer', 'make', 'issue', or 'accept'.
PitfallI made an apology for him. I offered an apology to him.You offer or make an apology 'to' a person, not 'for' them, unless you are apologizing on their behalf.
Antonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
a formal written or spoken defence of a belief or an idea.
a formal justification or systematic defence of a religious doctrine, political theory, or philosophical position.
Simple“The philosopher wrote a famous apology for his controversial views on society.”
In context“The text serves as a sophisticated apology for the movement's core tenets, addressing critics with rigorous logical arguments.”
UsageOften appears in the titles of historical or theological works.
Synonyms - 03 C2 Proficiency
something that is a very poor or low-quality example of what it should be.
a makeshift or inferior substitute for something; a poor representation of a particular category.
Simple“The thin soup was a poor apology for a proper meal.”
In context“The drafty wooden shack was a miserable apology for a house, offering little protection against the winter gales.”
Teacher's tipUsually used in the phrase 'a poor apology for' or 'a miserable apology for' to show strong disappointment.
“Coral lost the case and was ordered to issue a public apology.”
“My apologies to you, dear reader, if you’ve never spotted it, but if you hadn’t, I bet you will now.”
From French apologie, from Late Latin apologia, from Ancient Greek ἀπολογία (apología, “a speech in defence”), from ἀπολογοῦμαι (apologoûmai, “I speak in my defense”), from ἀπόλογος (apólogos, “an account, story”), from ἀπό (apó, “from, off”) (see apo-) + λόγος (lógos, “speech”). Doublet of apologia. By surface analysis, apo- + -logy.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.