Thinking and knowing

Synonyms for apology

The synonym for apology recorded in this bank is excuse, in the sense "a poor example". Below it sits the sentence that fixes that meaning, the same sentence with the swap made, and the words that only look close.

1 synonym · Tier 1, Foothills · 1 sense · noun · 1 reason line · a wrong tile in 4 puzzles

The synonym for apology

excusenoun, in the sense "a poor example"

A single pair, which is what a single sense earns. Words further down the page are near misses and are not synonyms for apology.

The sensenounTier 1, FoothillsThinking and knowing

a poor example

It was an apology for a meal.

This is the whole of what a player sees before choosing. The meaning has to come out of it.

The true synonym

excuse

Same sentence, swapped: It was an excuse for a meal.

Close but different

The game shows these three beside the answer. Each is a real word with a real meaning and none of them fits the slot apology is in above, which is the point the reason line makes.

sample
exception
argument

Where apology turns up in the game

apology is the word under test in one puzzle, at Tier 1, Foothills. It also sits on the board as one of the three wrong tiles in four other puzzles, where the answer is a different word entirely.

The puzzles where apology is the trap

overturenoun, Tier 2, Treeline. The answer there is gesture, in the sense "an opening approach made to initiate a relationship or deal", so apology is there to be ruled out.
modicumnoun, Tier 3, Ridgeline. The answer there is smidgen, in the sense "a small quantity of something, especially something desirable", so apology is there to be ruled out.
rantnoun, Tier 3, Ridgeline. The answer there is tirade, in the sense "a long, angry, forcefully expressed speech", and apology is on the board beside it.
rejoindernoun, Tier 4, High Camp. The answer there is riposte, in the sense "a quick, sharp reply to something said", with apology sitting one tile away.

Play apology

The bank on this page is the bank the game plays from, so apology reaches you as a board rather than a definition: the sentence first, four tiles, and the meaning after you choose.

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Compiled by Fable, Editor, Synonym Stack

This page is built from Open English WordNet 2025, with the sense, the sentence, the tier and the near misses read by a human in the July 2026 audit. No sentence here is generated at deploy time.

Read nextThe whole library →

Neighbours by theme before neighbours by difficulty, because thinking and knowing is the company apology keeps.

characternounqualitya characteristic property that defines the apparent individual nature of somethingFoothills checkverbmarkput a check mark on or near or next toFoothills2 sensesHas a reason line choicenounoptionone of a number of things from which only one can be chosenFoothillsHas a reason line chooseverbpreferselect as an alternative over anotherFoothills2 sensesHas a reason line holdverbagreebe in accordFoothills2 sensesHas a reason line ideanounthoughtthe content of cognitionFoothills2 sensesHas a reason line ignorantadjectiveilliterateuneducated in the fundamentals of a given art or branch of learningRidgeline2 sensesHas a reason line crossroadsnounjunctiona point where two or more roads meetFoothillsHas a reason line

A reason under every answer, not just a right answer

Synonym Stack plays from this exact bank. apology carries 1 written reason line, and the game shows them the moment a round ends, whichever tile you tapped.

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