/ əˌpɒləˈdʒetɪk; NAmE əˌpɑːl-/ adjective
apologetic (about / for sth) feeling or showing that you are sorry for doing sth wrong or for causing a problem :
'Sorry,' she said, with an apologetic smile.
They were very apologetic about the trouble they'd caused.
► apolo·get·ic·al·ly / əˌpɒləˈdʒetɪkli; NAmE əˌpɑːl-/ adverb :
'I'm sorry I'm late,' he murmured apologetically.
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English (as a noun denoting a formal justification): from French apologétique or late Latin apologeticus , from Greek apologētikos , from apologeisthei speak in one's own defence, from apologia , from apo away+ -logia (see -ology ). The current sense dates from the mid 19th cent.