Meanings
verbapologize (third-person singular simple present apologizes, present participle apologizing, simple past and past participle apologized)
present singular third person apologizes · participle present apologizing · participle past apologized · past apologized · alternative apologise
- BritishEnglishOxfordUSintransitiveoftenTo make an apology or excuse; to acknowledge some fault or offense, with expression of regret for it, by way of amends
My correspondent apologized for not answering my letter.
2 more examples
Barnes was commanded, with Garrett and Jerome, to make a public acknowledgment of his errors; and to apologize especially for his insolent language to Gardiner
1856, James Anthony Froude, History of England from the fall of Wolsey to the death of ElizabethToday I want to apologize to my co-workers.
2016, VOA Learning English (public domain) - BritishEnglishOxfordUSintransitiveTo express regret that a certain event has occurred.
- BritishEnglishOxfordUSdatedintransitiveTo make an apologia or defense; to act as apologist.
To this purpose the most witty, cautious and subtile ſort of the Pagans apologize for themselves
1660, H[enry] More, An Explanation of the Grand Mystery of Godliness; […], London: […] J[ames] Flesher, for W[illiam] Morden […], →OCLC
Synonyms & antonyms
verbacknowledge faults or shortcomings or failing
Similar
verbdefend, explain, clear away, or make excuses for by reasoning
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From apology + -ize, from ἀπολογία (apología, “a speech in defense”), from ἀπολογέομαι (apologéomai, “to speak in one’s defense”), from ἀπόλογος (apólogos, “an account, story”), compound of ἀπο- (apo-, “from, off”) and λόγος (lógos, “speech”); compare also ἀπολογίζομαι (apologízomai, “to render an account”).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic اِعْتَذَرَ, اِسْتَعْذَرَ
- اِعْتَذَرَ (iʕtaḏara)to make an apology or excuse
- اِسْتَعْذَرَ (istaʕḏara)to make an apology or excuse
- اِسْتَصْفَحَ (istaṣfaḥa)to make an apology or excuse
Bengali ক্ষমা চাওয়া, মাফ চাওয়া
- ক্ষমা চাওয়া (khoma caōẇa)to make an apology or excuse
- মাফ চাওয়া (maph caōẇa)to make an apology or excuse
Bulgarian извиня́вам се, извиня́ се
- извиня́вам се (izvinjávam se)to make an apology or excuse
- извиня́ се (izvinjá se)to make an apology or excuse
Catalan disculpar-se, demanar perdó
- disculpar-seto make an apology or excuse
- demanar perdóto make an apology or excuse
- apologitzarto make an apology or excuse
- apologitzarto make an apology or defense
Chinese Cantonese 道歉
- 道歉 (dou⁶ hip³)to make an apology or excuse
Chinese Mandarin 道歉
- 道歉 (dàoqiàn)to make an apology or excuse
Cypriot Greek απολογούμαι
- απολογούμαι (apologoúmai)to make an apology or excuse
Czech omlouvat se, omluvit se
- omlouvat seto make an apology or excuse
- omluvit seto make an apology or excuse
Danish undskylde sig
- undskylde sigto make an apology or excuse
Dutch zich verontschuldigen, verantwoorden
- zich verontschuldigento make an apology or excuse
- verantwoordento make an apology or defense
Esperanto pardonpeti
- pardonpetito make an apology or excuse
Estonian vabandama
- vabandamato make an apology or excuse
Finnish pyytää anteeksi, pahoitella
- pyytää anteeksito make an apology or excuse
- pahoitellato make an apology or excuse
- pahoitellato express regret
- puolustellato make an apology or defense
French s'excuser, s'excuser
- s'excuserto make an apology or excuse
- s'excuserto express regret
- présenter des excusesto express regret
- faire l'apologie deto make an apology or defense
German sich entschuldigen
- sich entschuldigento make an apology or excuse
Greek ζητάω συγγνώμη
- ζητάω συγγνώμη (zitáo syngnómi)to make an apology or excuse
Hawaiian mihi
- mihito make an apology or excuse
Hebrew הִתְנַצֵּל
- הִתְנַצֵּל (hitnatsél)to make an apology or excuse
Hindi क्षमा मांगना, माफ़ी माँगना
- क्षमा मांगना (kṣamā māṅgnā)to make an apology or excuse
- माफ़ी माँगना (māfī māṅgnā)to make an apology or excuse
Hungarian bocsánatot kér, elnézést kér
- bocsánatot kérto make an apology or excuse
- elnézést kérto make an apology or excuse
- sajnálkozikto make an apology or excuse
- védőbeszédet tartto make an apology or defense
Icelandic afsaka sig
- afsaka sigto make an apology or excuse
Irish leithscéal a dhéanamh, leithscéal a ghabháil
- leithscéal a dhéanamhto make an apology or excuse
- leithscéal a ghabháilto make an apology or excuse
- pardún a ghabháilto make an apology or excuse
Italian scusarsi, chiedere perdono
- scusarsito make an apology or excuse
- chiedere perdonoto express regret
- chiedere scusato express regret
- scusarsito express regret
Japanese 謝る, 詫びる
- 謝る (ayamaru)to make an apology or excuse
- 詫びる (wabiru)to make an apology or excuse
- 謝罪する (shazai suru)to make an apology or excuse
Korean 사과하다, 사죄하다
- 사과하다 (sagwahada)to make an apology or excuse
- 사죄하다 (sajoehada)to make an apology or excuse
Latin sibi paenitēre
- sibi paenitēreto express regret
Latvian atvainoties
- atvainotiesto make an apology or excuse
Lithuanian atsiprašyti
- atsiprašytito make an apology or excuse
Māori whakapāha, whakapāha
- whakapāhato make an apology or excuse
- whakapāhato express regret
Norwegian Bokmål unnskylde seg, beklage
- unnskylde segto make an apology or excuse
- beklageto make an apology or excuse
Polish przepraszać, przeprosić
- przepraszaćto make an apology or excuse
- przeprosićto make an apology or excuse
- apologizowaćto make an apology or excuse
- przepraszaćto express regret
- przeprosićto express regret
Portuguese desculpar-se, pedir desculpas/perdão
- desculpar-seto make an apology or excuse
- pedir desculpas/perdãoto express regret
- desculpar-seto express regret
- apologizarto make an apology or defense
- fazer apologia ato make an apology or defense
Romanian cere scuze, a-și cere scuze
- cere scuzeto make an apology or excuse
- a-și cere scuzeto make an apology or excuse
Russian извиня́ться, извини́ться
- извиня́ться (izvinjátʹsja)to make an apology or excuse
- извини́ться (izvinítʹsja)to make an apology or excuse
Slovak ospravedlňovať sa, ospravedlniť sa
- ospravedlňovať sato make an apology or excuse
- ospravedlniť sato make an apology or excuse
Spanish disculparse [with con], pedir(le) perdón [with a]
- disculparse [with con]to make an apology or excuse
- pedir(le) perdón [with a]to make an apology or excuse
- pedir disculpas [with a]to make an apology or excuse
Swedish be om ursäkt, ursäkta sig
- be om ursäktto make an apology or excuse
- ursäkta sigto make an apology or excuse
Thai ขอโทษ
- ขอโทษ (kɔ̌ɔ-tôot)to make an apology or excuse
Turkish özür dilemek
- özür dilemekto make an apology or excuse
Ukrainian вибача́тися, ви́бачитися
- вибача́тися (vybačátysja)to make an apology or excuse
- ви́бачитися (výbačytysja)to make an apology or excuse
- перепро́шувати (perepróšuvaty)to make an apology or excuse
- перепроси́ти (pereprosýty)to make an apology or excuse
Urdu عُذْر کَرْنَا, مُعافی مان٘گْنا
- عُذْر کَرْنَا ('uzr karnā)to make an apology or excuse
- مُعافی مان٘گْنا (mu'āfī māṅgnā)to make an apology or excuse
Vietnamese xin lỗi
- xin lỗito make an apology or excuse
Welsh ymddiheuro, diheuro
- ymddiheuroto make an apology or excuse
- diheuroto make an apology or excuse
Yiddish אַנטשולדיקן זיך
- אַנטשולדיקן זיך (antshuldikn zikh)to make an apology or excuse
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with apologize
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
apologize. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/apologize
MLA
“apologize.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/apologize. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “apologize,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/apologize.
Source: apologize on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.