Apology Once Meant a Defence, Not a Sorry — Both Senses Survive
An apology is an expression of regret for something you did. In older and formal English it also means a written defence of a belief, which is the original meaning.
An apology is a statement that you are sorry. That is the everyday sense. But the word began as the opposite: a formal *defence* of a position, as in Plato's *Apology*, in which Socrates defends himself rather than repenting.
- An expression of regret. *He offered a full apology.*
- A formal defence of a belief. *An apology for the Christian faith.*
- A poor example of something. *A sad apology for a meal.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | apology | A written apology. |
| Plural | apologies | Apologies for the delay. |
| Verb | apologise / apologize | She apologised at once. |
| Adjective | apologetic | An apologetic email. |
| Field | apologetics | Christian apologetics. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The company issued an apology within hours.The standard modern sense.
- Please accept my apologies for missing the meeting.Plural, formal and polite.
- Apologies were noted at the start of the minutes.In committee English, an apology means an explained absence.
- Plato's Apology records the trial of Socrates.The original sense: a defence.
What makes an apology work
Communication researchers usually list the same elements: naming what you did, accepting responsibility, expressing regret, and saying what you will do differently. The classic failure is the conditional apology — *I'm sorry if anyone was offended* — which shifts the fault onto the listener.
Apologise or apologize?
Apologise is standard in Britain and the Commonwealth, apologize in the United States. Both are correct English.
Why is Plato's Apology called that?
From Greek *apologia*, a speech in defence. Socrates is defending himself in court, not saying sorry.