Word.ws English Dictionary

if I may be so bold

if I may be so bold phrase: used to soften a statement or question that is expected to annoy the listener.

Phrase

if I may be so bold

  1. (formal) Used to soften a statement or question that is expected to annoy the listener.

Forms of if I may be so bold

alternative formif I might be so bold
alternative formif I may make so bold

Questions about if I may be so bold

What does if I may be so bold mean?
If I may be so bold means used to soften a statement or question that is expected to annoy the listener.
What part of speech is if I may be so bold?
If I may be so bold is a phrase.

Words near if I may be so bold in the dictionary

  1. if I ever saw one
  2. if I fits, I sits
  3. if I had a nickel for every time
  4. if I had wheels, I'd be a wagon
  5. if I may
  6. if I may be so bold
  7. if I may make so bold
  8. if I may say so
  9. if I might be so bold
  10. if I say so myself
  11. if I were you

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: if I may be so bold (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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