"apology accepted" is a normal way to answer a apology?

it’s not wrong or uncommon but in with some tones it may come off sarcastic. like if you said it with a straight face and monotone, it will probably sound sarcastic. but if you say it with a more endearing tone and a smile then it’s fine.

It's a bit condescending, yes, unless it was said extremely sincerely. If there is any sort of power dynamic between people in the moment then I would say it's not a particularly nice thing to say. Honestly, I would expect to most likely hear this if a parent convinced their child to go up to someone else and apologise for something they did, and that other person responded with "apology accepted" to telegraph to the child that they understood what they were doing and were thanking them for it.

Yes. Normal. It *can* be sarcastic - usually you can tell by the intonation. But it can be totally genuine. It is very common. Like everything, the exact meaning depends on the context.

You're right - in my experience, it often sounds a bit sarcastic. As in, you might say it if someone hasn't actually apologised when they ought to have, or, if the one apologising was very reluctant to do so and you're mocking them. Although, it could also be sincere. It all depends on the tone.

It is ok, but is also quite overly formal and could seem a bit weird to natives. “No worries”, “no problem”, “don’t worry about it” or (in America) “don’t sweat it” are all much more informal and more casuals

"apology accepted" is easily interpreted as sarcastic or cold-hearted. It's safer to say "thank you for your apology. I forgive you." or "I appreciate it. I have let go of what's happened." or something like that.

Sounds totally normal to me. It's not the most common way of responding but to me it's not weird or juvenile like others have said. It sounds like something my father would have said.

It’s a bit formal, but definitely acceptable. If it sounded sarcastic, it probably was — a begrudging acceptance of an apology is a way to try to make the other person feel even worse. Of course, an apology can be sarcastic, too — so everything really depends on context.

It's correct in the same way "you're welcome" is the correct response to "thank you." It is, but natives will more likely say something else and tone/facial expression are very important.

If they try to make a sincere apology, then yes.

I know I was taught “I accept your apology” because sometimes “it’s okay” can denote an ‘acceptance’ of a behaviour.

No, it’s a passive aggressive one. A normal one would be “it’s okay.” If you want to avoid letting them off the hook, you can say “thank you.”

To me, “apology accepted” gives the impression you’re still mad. If you’re still upset about it you can use it. Otherwise you can said “It’s okay,” “Don’t worry about it,” or “it’s fine

Thanking someone for apologizing is also good manners.

I would just go with “thank you. I appreciate that.”

If you say this, the person who has apologised to you might feel patronised / talked down to. I would suggest: “Thank you.”

On its face, quite a stiff and cold thing to say to someone who is taking a humble posture toward you. It would be best said when you are maintaining the position that you are right, they are wrong, and your forgiveness is generous. You can give it a lighter spin, but it's not how to make friends! To avoid rubbing someone's nose in what may have been a simple mistake, I might say, “Thanks — that’s all right” to indicate that there are no hard feelings. Then, anything else circumstantial to tidy up the disagreement.

It might come across too stiff, to the point of being insincere. Or remind people of this [iconic scene from the empire strikes back](https://youtu.be/Iwio208q3jY?si=vqKW84Tfbrxrt6gf).

It sounds sarcastic, overly formal.

It depends how it is said! Depending on their tone, it can be either sarcastic or sincere. A clearer way to say it would be looking you in the eyes and saying, "Thank you. I accept your apology." But, in my opinion, forgiveness is the ultimate way to accept an apology and it means you will now move forward without holding the past offense against the person who wronged you. So, if someone apologizes to me, I usually say either, "I forgive you" OR something like, "Thank you so much for your apology. I need a little time to process that and work toward forgiving you." And then REALLY do the work to forgive them and communicate my forgiveness to them when I am ready. Hope that helps!

It depends on what they’re apologizing for. When used genuinely it’s often a pretty serious response. Like if they briefly got in your way on accident and said sorry on reflex, “apology accepted” would imply that they’d actually done something genuinely wrong. “No problem” or similar would be more appropriate. Something in the medium range, like if they ate the last of something and then found out you’d been saving it, “apology accepted” would come across as you wanting to let it go and move on, but are still upset about it on the inside. I’d say something more like “It’s alright” for that instead. *Serious* serious things, like a major breach of personal trust, are when it feels appropriate. In my mind it’s for when you’re really hurt and you’ve been really upset, and maybe you’re not completely over it but you genuinely *want* to move past it and have a good/decent relationship with that person again.

Slightly differing from some others here — I would say that the usual meaning of this phrase is not sarcastic but is inherently somewhat cutting and harsh. It means, in effect, “what you did was wrong, but now that you’ve apologized I’m willing to move on.” It very pointedly does not me “no problem” or the like, which convey that no harm was done.

It is fine as long as the apology was a genuine and explicit apology. It’s usually a good idea to soften it further, for example if their offense was no big deal you should say so, but for more serious transgressions simply accepting the apology is fine as-is.

Apology accepted, to me, comes across as "I acknowledge the fact that you're sorry, and while I may appreciate it, I am not ready to forgive right now"

Personally speaking, I’ve never heard someone use this phrase in a genuine manner, (except when we were kids). Normally, the way most people accept apologies where I’m from is a simple “no problem”, “no worries”, “it’s alright”, etc. OR “I forgive you”, for those very serious circumstances.

Someone you don’t know very well might say this being very formal. A friend might say it because they are being sarcastic or because while they accept your apology, they still feel a little too angry to give more casual/friendly response. I don’t think anyone should say it to anyone because it’s so formal/robotic that it doesn’t sound sincere.

Very formal, almost diplomats talking to each other formal. "I accept your apology," or "Thank you for your apology," are more conversational.

Depends on the context, I guess. It's kind of a juvenile way to respond, when you are little kids And They are teaching you to be nice. I would normally say something like " I understand, No problem". Something like that so it is less formal

It’s more of an informal acceptance when it’s coming from someone you know well and there’s been enough time for both people to cool down. More commonly “I accept your apology” is seen.

I’d say that most natural response is “It’s fine” for something small and petty and “I forgive you” for something bigger

It’s fine to say depending on the tone, but I usually hear: 1. “It’s okay” and “Don’t worry” when someone is apologizing for something that isn’t a big deal. If someone knocks over my pen and apologizes, I’ll say “Don’t worry about it.” 2. “Thank you” and “I appreciate that” when someone is apologizing for something they ABSOLUTELY need to apologize for. If someone punched my cat in the face, I would say “Thank you for apologizing” (after I punched them in the nose, of course lol)

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