道歉（源于希腊语απολογία，即apologia），是人类社会的行为，是社交礼仪，也是做人处事的艺术。“道歉”这个词在现代社会中意味着承认犯错，但其实在影响他人心情时，哪怕没有做错，也应该向他人致歉。然而，许多时候向他人道歉并不是件易事，这主要缘于维护自身自尊心的心理。不同社会和民族间也存在文化差异，有国家可以否认自己的战争罪行，但绝不道歉。

道歉于英文可以分为，en:Sorry、en:Apology和en:Non-apology apology多种。在中文用字上也有抱歉、遗憾、歉意、认罪、谢罪等分别。

Apologia is an offered explanation or defense of one's actions. The etymology of apologia (Greek: ἀπολογία) is derived from the root word apologos (ἀπόλογος), “a story”. The Greek philosophers Plato, Isocrates, and Aristotle described apologia as a genre of rhetoric, where the orator defends their actions against an accusation, to earn vindication and regain acceptance. Apologia implies not admission of guilt or regret but a desire to make clear the grounds for some course, belief, or position. e.g. his speech was an apologia for his foreign policy.