at the risk of
Possibly inviting trouble
At the risk of introduces an action while acknowledging a potential negative consequence: At the risk of sounding rude, I have to ask you to leave.
The phrase signals awareness that what follows might cause offense, embarrassment, or other unwanted outcomes, but the speaker proceeds anyway.
It often softens blunt statements or prefaces unpopular opinions.
- stating the obviousDeclaring the self-evident
- endangerTo put at risk
- caveatWarning or qualification
- disclaimerStatement denying responsibility
- full disclosureWithholding no information
peril · high stakes · thin ice · hazard · pose · choice · trade-off · acknowledgment · preface · fair warning · vulnerability · admission · jeopardy · nevertheless · exposure · calculation · judgment · warning