preapologize

present singular third person preapologizes · participle present preapologizing · participle past preapologized · past preapologized · alternative pre-apologize

1. intransitiveTo apologize in advance; to make an apology before the fact.

   Newman was so ashamed of the film, he took out an ad in the Los Angeles Times to pre-apologize to television viewers on the eve of its late-night showing.

   1989 Oct, Robert Cetti Jr, “Detour: What Drives Paul Newman?”, in Orange Coast Magazine, page 72

   1 more example

   The second example, a cartoon, shows a husband announcing to his wife, that he wants to pre-apologize before going out for the evening. Despite the humor involved in the idea of “pre-apologizing,” I do not believe that a person can meaningfully apologize before the event.

   2004, Aaron Lazare, On Apology, Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 171