to come off as
49
4.1
- phrasal verb
- /kʌm ɔf æz/
:
parecer
- Many people believe that if you keep interrupting, you come off as rude.
He does come off as a little off, doesn't he?
- He does come off as a little off, doesn't he?
- When you hear them, basically, you know, it just comes off as bullying basically.
- So I guess I came off as like I could fight.
- And, and I just, I, I was worried that it would come off as inauthentic.
- I hope this doesn't come off as critical of Australian cuisine I love.
- But so often, vulnerable narcissistic folks can often come off as being being kind of down on their luck.
- And no man who's trying to impress a woman wants to come off as broke.
- He can have the most radical viewpoint, but it comes off as so, so normal.
- What advice do you have where I won't come off as controlling or have to give him an ultimatum?
- Like the fact I understand that, you know, they come off as trolls, like they like control the Internet and stuff like that.
- It's like, I don't know, I guess in that world, Ellen, the way that she told the story, he came off as very polite and she came off not.
- And if you thought the term special master didn't come off as kinky enough, meet Special Master Dearie.
- So it's either comes off as weird or misunderstood.
Examples
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I hope I didn't come off as mean.
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Sometimes that comes off as a little threatening or whatever.
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The issue is you come off as so cold.
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So I guess I came off as like I could fight.
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I love telling stories where I come off as a major jerk.
Fiction book (1995) -
And, and I just, I, I was worried that it would come off as inauthentic.
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Hey, I don't want to come off as weird or anything, but I might be your biggest fan.
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Look, I don't want to come off as the ugly American here.
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And you have it down pat where you can give really honest feedback without coming off as condescending.
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Trying to bribe your way out with gifts will only come off as condescending.
Blog text (1)
Synonyms
106
3.9
To seem to other people in a particular way
65
3.7
To seem to other people in a particular way
How Clear
Surface Forms
Morphology
The sense 'to give a particular impression' is not directly derivable from the literal meanings of the parts: 'come' (arrive), 'off' (particle) and 'as' (comparison marker). There is a partial link — 'come' can signal reaching a state and 'as' marks role, so learners might sometimes infer the meaning from context, but the phrasal-verb use of 'come off' is idiomatic and requires exposure to be fully understood.
Etymology
Come off as may come from the image of a mask coming off, with come off meaning something falling away and as showing how people see it. Imagine a mask falling away: the way you come off to others, as friendly or rude, is the impression they get, so the phrase means 'to seem' or 'to give a particular impression'.