afraid to say

idiom

variants or sorry to say or regret to say
used as a way of expressing one's disappointment, regret, or sorrow
Most of us worked very hard, but she, I'm afraid to say, did no work at all.

Examples of afraid to say in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Today’s hosts are, frankly, afraid to say anything bad at all on network TV. Christian Allaire, Vogue, 8 Mar. 2024 Don't be afraid to say no when necessary, and focus on getting done what really matters to you. Luciana Paulise, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024 Helen Molesworth is not afraid to say what’s on her mind. Grace Edquist, Vogue, 15 Nov. 2023 One Palestinian American couple described their conversation with a Democratic senator who seemed sympathetic but too afraid to say so publicly. Abigail Hauslohner, Washington Post, 6 Nov. 2023 But not all of it is worth continuing, and my generation isn't afraid to say that! Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 4 Oct. 2023 One official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment, said many people want Mr. Bazoum reinstated but were afraid to say so for fear of retaliation. Sam Mednick, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 Aug. 2023 This was never a band that was afraid to say the thing, but the pandemic gave many, including James, a new level of clarity. Haben Kelati, Washington Post, 27 July 2023 Marvel hasn't been afraid to say goodbye to iconic characters in recent years; Tony Stark and Natasha Romanoff didn't make it out of Avengers: Endgame alive. Evan Romano, Men's Health, 6 May 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'afraid to say.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Dictionary Entries Near afraid to say

Cite this Entry

“Afraid to say.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/afraid%20to%20say. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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