PsychologyAugust 30, 2026

atonement

uh-TONE-ment

Definition

The act of making amends or providing compensation for an offense or perceived wrong.

Etymology

Derived from the Middle English 'atone' (meaning 'at one'), it originally signified the state of being in harmony or reconciliation with others, which later evolved into the act of making amends to restore that harmony.

In the news

In this article, the author suggests that recalibrating one's internal gauge for apologies prevents ordinary, blameless human needs from being mistakenly viewed as offenses requiring atonement.

The psychology of over-apologizing: what genuinely happy people have stopped saying sorry for, and why

Read the full article ↗

ScienceBlog.com

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