Why is everyone apologising? It’s 50 years since Elton sang Sorry Seems To Be the Hardest Word, yet these days I spend my time swatting more apologies than flies at a one-day cricket match. So prolific is its use you would think we’ve all been very, very naughty.

The widespread overuse, and misuse, of this short but powerful word has dulled our senses by diluting its significance, revealing a societal need to constantly placate, along with spotlighting the demise of sincerity. Sorry, as it happens, seems to be the easiest word.

Elton John in 1976, when he reckoned ‘sorry’ was the hardest word.Credit: Syndication International

My observations have led me to a vast and cavernous void between saying sorry and needing to say sorry. The Oxford Dictionary defines sorry as an expression of sadness or sympathy, and to feel regret. We’ve managed to expand this meaning, exposing either a lack of vocabulary or a true intent.

Sorry is the go-to for the over-apologiser, for example, revealing more about their self-esteem than their regret or........

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