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I know the title is extremely vague so I'll try to explain it with an example. For example, if a company makes some errors, and then instead of acknowledging the responsibility for their mistakes, they instead say things like: "Even Apple makes mistakes, how can you expect our products to be 100% error free". What kind of language is this called?

It's a form of negative language. Other words I thought were "pessimistic" or "accusatory" or "complacent", but I'm not entirely sure if these words can be used to describe the example I gave most accurately.

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  • I would describe it this way: "Oh, look—their house has a pox on it, too, so the one on ours doesn't matter."
    – Sven Yargs
    Commented Nov 17, 2017 at 2:50

3 Answers 3

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This type of response can be described as an apologia, i.e., a justification or rationale offered in lieu of contrition. Different from an apology, the term implies that a defense is presented, which seems to fit the situation you describe.

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This is usually called rationalisation.

Though not the only sense, the one involved here is

rationalisation NOUN mass noun

1 The action of attempting to explain or justify behaviour or an attitude with logical reasons, even if these are not appropriate.

most people are prone to self-deceptive rationalisation

[ODO]

The Wikipedia article is perhaps better worded:

[R]ationalization or rationalisation (also known as making excuses) is a defense mechanism in which controversial behaviors [or poor decisions / errors] ... are justified and explained in a seemingly rational or logical manner to avoid the true explanation.... It is also an informal fallacy of reasoning.

[adjusted to shift the emphasis from the psychological field to that of general practice]

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  • I agree wholeheartedly that this fits the way I read the OP question. I might add, that the word's verb form, rationalize , is also appropriate and common as is the gerund form of the verb, rationalizing, as a name for a ongoing action.
    – Tom22
    Commented Nov 17, 2017 at 0:39
  • Ah, I think this is exactly what I needed. Thank you very much!
    – D41V30N
    Commented Nov 17, 2017 at 2:51
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I would call an attitude like that signified to be dismissive.

Dismissive b. Tending to dismiss from consideration as insignificant; characterized by rejection, contemptuous.

OED-3

The complaint also quotes a May e-mail from CEO Elon Musk that seemed dismissive of problems at the factory

Technica

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