apologist

noun

apol·​o·​gist ə-ˈpä-lə-jist 

plural apologists

: someone who speaks or writes in defense of someone or something that is typically controversial, unpopular, or subject to criticism

… an apologist for moneyed interests.

—S. L. Price

Apologists argued that funneling contracts to his children did not matter too much since the projects—new roads, factories, airports—did get built.

—Johanna McGeary

Apologists for the status quo will always claim that if change were really needed, the market would have already made it happen.

—Michael Grunwald

Examples of apologist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Even Trump’s apologists are being blunt to their counterparts in other governments. —Philip Elliott, TIME, 11 Mar. 2025

Benjamin Mako Hill, a professor at the University of Washington who co-authored a research paper on the Croatian Wikipedia debacle, told me that contributors without a political agenda were eventually able to wrest control back, banning a small group of Fascist apologists from editing articles. —Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2025

His apologists scrambled unconvincingly to make sense of it. —Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2025

Biden and his apologists tout job growth and a record stock market. —Matthew Continetti, National Review, 11 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin apologista, from Late Latin apologia "defense in speech or writing" + New Latin -ista -ist entry 1 — more at apology

First Known Use

1602, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for apologist

• biologist
• ecologist
• ethnologist
• geologist
• hydrologist
• neurologist
• oncologist
• pathologist
• philologist
• psychologist
• technologist
• urologist

Kids Definition

apologist

noun

apol·​o·​gist ə-ˈpäl-ə-jəst 

: one who speaks or writes in defense of a faith, cause, or institution