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no offense

Idioms

Please don't feel insulted, I don't mean to offend you, as in No offense, but I think you're mistaken. This expression, first recorded in 1829, generally accompanies a statement that could be regarded as insulting but is not meant to be, as in the example.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I mean no offense to Bettany or Michael Sheen, who recently signed on to reprise the role for a West End production set for spring of 2027.

From Salon • May 16, 2026

But no offense was intended with the Washington costume, Collins explained, noting that he was just there to “honor the King as our special guest.”

From Slate • Apr. 28, 2026

"I get my news source from him, not from -- no offense -- but not from you or anyone else," White told AFP reporters at his official residence in Brussels.

From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026

No blue blood wants to fake excitement about schlepping to the Pop-Tart Bowl, no offense to those sentient Pop-Tarts.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 27, 2025

“Um, no offense, but I can’t. . . this can’t be, like, a dating thing.”

From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023