# My new word: apologentsia
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-word-apologentsia/271449
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [October 27, 2004, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-word-apologentsia/271449 "2004-10-27T15:07:00Z")
**Posts on this page:** 15
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Standup\_Karmic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Standup_Karmic)
#### Post date: [October 27, 2004, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-word-apologentsia/271449/1 "2004-10-27T15:07:00Z")
Yes, it’s true, I thought up this word last night in a dream. Googling, I find that “about 40” websites already contain the word. But I can’t imagine where I’ve ever seen it before, and thus I claim it as my own invention, even if others thought of it before me.
I have no idea when I’ll have occasion to use my cool new word, but I’ll be on the lookout.
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### Author:  [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)
#### Post date: [October 27, 2004, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-word-apologentsia/271449/2 "2004-10-27T15:11:02Z")
> [@Standup Karmic](#):
>
> Yes, it’s true, I thought up this word last night in a dream. Googling, I find that “about 40” websites already contain the word. But I can’t imagine where I’ve ever seen it before, and thus I claim it as my own invention, even if others thought of it before me.
>
> I have no idea when I’ll have occasion to use my cool new word, but I’ll be on the lookout.
What does it mean? Apologists?
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [October 27, 2004, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-word-apologentsia/271449/3 "2004-10-27T15:11:34Z")
It could be used to describe people who are crippled by their own politeness, or maybe those who perform spectacular mental gymnastics in fitting the interpretation of their favourite scriptures to the real world (or perhaps vice versa)
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### Author:  [@coop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coop)
#### Post date: [October 27, 2004, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-word-apologentsia/271449/4 "2004-10-27T15:20:21Z")
Would not the **apologentsia** be the EDUCATED group of Yanks travelling the world apologising for the crap inflicted on society by their fellow countrymen 😃😃😃
BTW take the above with the humour it was intended.
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### Author:  [@Gadfly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadfly)
#### Post date: [October 27, 2004, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-word-apologentsia/271449/5 "2004-10-27T15:25:57Z")
APOLOGENTSIA
A Short Play in One Act.
ACT 1
SCENE 1
_Gadfly’s family is gathered around an old oak dinner table eating a delicious stew for dinner, in a disorganized living room somewhere in East York._
_The phone rings - Gadfly’s father visibly reddens, he drops his spoon and tramps over to the phone. He picks up the headset._
Gadflydad: What’s this about?
Muffled voice: We’re sorry. (click)
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### Author:  [@Standup\_Karmic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Standup_Karmic)
#### Post date: [October 27, 2004, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-word-apologentsia/271449/6 "2004-10-27T15:30:17Z")
Seeing as how I just made the word up, I’m still trying to figure out a good working definition. Any suggestions are welcome.
What? You’re supposed to come up with a concept that needs a name and _then_ name it? Says who, ya chucklemonkeys!
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### Author:  [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)
#### Post date: [October 27, 2004, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-word-apologentsia/271449/7 "2004-10-27T18:58:59Z")
**Apologentsia** the metric combination of _Apologize_ and **Amnesia** : Meaning: One who forgets to apologize.
EX:“Peter suffers from _Apologentsia_. He never says he is sorry.”
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### Author:  [@myrnajean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/myrnajean)
#### Post date: [October 28, 2004, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-word-apologentsia/271449/8 "2004-10-28T16:31:33Z")
Hmmmm… made me think of a group of people, real brown-nosers, an entire class of people who do nothing but apologize for the rest of our mistakes…
Kind of like the intelligentsia, only instead of being really smart, they’re just really sorry… for everything.
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### Author:  [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)
#### Post date: [October 28, 2004, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-word-apologentsia/271449/9 "2004-10-28T16:41:05Z")
Maybe their slogan should be “We’re the Apologentsia, and we’re sorry, but we won’t apologize for it”.
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### Author:  [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)
#### Post date: [October 28, 2004, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-word-apologentsia/271449/10 "2004-10-28T16:47:31Z")
I was thinking the Apologentsia could be people who will excuse away all the faults of who or whatever it is they support.
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### Author:  [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)
#### Post date: [October 28, 2004, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-word-apologentsia/271449/11 "2004-10-28T17:08:50Z")
Does no one here know what an apologist is? An apologia? The Apologentsia are that class or subset of society who occupy themselves by arguing in defense of things that are being attacked. It sounds like a term of derision, and I suspect it’d more likely to be directed at the Left, so we’d be talking about those who defend affirmative action, reproductive rights, gay rights, environmental regulation, etc.
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### Author:  [@Malodorous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malodorous)
#### Post date: [October 29, 2004, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-word-apologentsia/271449/12 "2004-10-29T01:00:31Z")
Upon googling, it appears the word most often appears to mean those who are constantly making excuses in defense of something. Particularly in Blogs it seems to be a subset of spin doctors and pundits (usually used by left wing bloggers to talk about Bush’s supporters) that are always making excuses for the mistakes of the client politicians. An example:
> [@some blog](#):
>
> Yup, just in time for Easter, the same crowd that hammered Bill Clinton mercilessly has developed a devastatingly obvious myopia when it comes to Dubya and The Gang. In today’s LA Times Opinion the Bush Apologentsia launch a defense of Bush’s Holy War.:
The second meaning of the word seems to be wishy-washy people with low self esteem that are always apologizing. This also seems to be mainly used in blogs, basically to describe a stereotypical liberal who is always apologizing for the actions of their country and trying not to step on the toes of any other country.
> [@National Review](#):
>
> The tendency is summed up in an expression credited to Manfred Eimer, formerly assistant director of the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency: “Arms control is the opiate of the apologentsia.” These are the people for whom the process of arms control — treaty negotiations, verification missions, reports, and more negotiations — is more important than its product
It’s sort of an interesting sign of the polorizatin of our times that the same word, with different meanings attached, is used by both sides of the political spectrum to insult each other.
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### Author:  [@Keapon\_Laffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keapon_Laffin)
#### Post date: [October 29, 2004, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-word-apologentsia/271449/13 "2004-10-29T02:26:29Z")
Its obviously a word used by a guy who’s trying to apologize for sneezing at the exact moment of the sneeze.
So instead of saying, “My apologies”, he says, “My a-ah-ah-polog-ENT-sia!!!” _sniff_ _sniff_
😃
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### Author:  [@Standup\_Karmic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Standup_Karmic)
#### Post date: [October 29, 2004, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-word-apologentsia/271449/14 "2004-10-29T02:30:22Z")
I’m wondering if my new word is a combination of the words, “a poll”, “gents”, and “yeah”. Perhaps they’re pollsters who only query men. And don’t take “no” for an answer.
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### Author:  [@Malodorous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malodorous)
#### Post date: [October 29, 2004, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-word-apologentsia/271449/15 "2004-10-29T03:35:42Z")
All I know is that when I’m stuck in a conversation where I don’t know enough to understand whats being said, I’m going to try using the phrase “Arms control is the opiate of the apologentsia” from the National Review article quoted in my last post.
I’m still not sure what it means, but it sounds pretty damn smart.