Matt.F said:
Jay said:
Please read the 10 or so posts regarding the word “apologist” and how it’s only a negative term if you don’t understand the meaning of the word.
Lol, I hope this is a joke!
"An apologist is a person who argues in favor of something unpopular. … Apologists tend to be seen in a negative light, as defensive people who make excuses. The word apologist comes from the Greek word apologia, meaning speaking in defense. “an enthusiastic apologist for fascism in the 1920s”
From merriam-webster.com:
“One who speaks or writes in defense of someone or something.”
From collinsdictionary.com:
“An apologist is a person who writes or speaks in defence of a belief, a cause, or a person’s life.”
From dictionary.com:
“A person who makes a defense in speech or writing of a belief, idea, etc.”
From thefreedictionary.com:
“A person who argues in defense or justification of something, such as a doctrine, policy, or institution.”
From macmillandictionary.com:
“Someone who defends something such as a belief.”
And just to show I’m not being selective in the sources I’m quoting from:
From en.oxforddictionaries.com:
“A person who offers an argument in defence of something controversial.” (Not that “controversial” automatically equals “negative”.)
From dictionary.cambridge.org:
“A person who supports a particular belief or political system, especially an unpopular one, and speaks or writes in defence of it.”
From vocabulary.com (Your source, I believe):
“An apologist is a person who argues in favor of something unpopular.”
That’s eight definitions from eight separate sources. Four are neutral; one is ambiguous; one has a negative slant, but isn’t wholly negative; only one is outright negative.