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apologetic

Syllabification: (a·pol·o·get·ic)
Pronunciation: /əˌpäləˈjetik/

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Definition of apologetic

adjective

  • regretfully acknowledging or excusing an offense or failure:she was very apologetic about the whole incident
  • of the nature of a formal defense or justification of something such as a theory or religious doctrine:the apologetic proposition that production for profit is the same thing as production for need

noun

  • a reasoned argument or writing in justification of something, typically a theory or religious doctrine:free market apologetics

Derivatives

apologetically

Pronunciation: /-ik(ə)lē/

adverb

Origin:

late Middle English (as a noun denoting a formal defense or justification): from French apologétique or late Latin apologeticus, from Greek apologētikos, from apologeisthei 'speak in one's own defense', from apologia (see apology). The current sense dates from the mid 19th century

apologetic in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of apologetic in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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