PsychologyAugust 30, 2026

recalibrating

ree-KAL-uh-bray-ting

Definition

The act of adjusting or resetting an internal standard, mental gauge, or behavioral threshold to be more accurate or appropriate.

Etymology

Derived from the prefix 're-' (again) combined with 'calibrate,' which comes from the French 'calibre' and refers to checking or adjusting the accuracy of a measuring instrument.

In the news

The article uses this word to describe the process of adjusting one's internal sensitivity to what warrants an apology, moving away from reflexive over-apologizing for blameless actions.

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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