preapologize

• pre-apologize

pre- +‎ apologize

preapologize (third-person singular simple present preapologizes, present participle preapologizing, simple past and past participle preapologized)

1. (intransitive) To apologize in advance; to make an apology before the fact.
   • 1989 Oct, Robert Cetti Jr, “Detour: What Drives Paul Newman?”, in Orange Coast Magazine, page 72:

     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.

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

     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.

Much more common since circa 2000; compare similar usage for preapology.

• preapology