Lindsay Lohan is backtracking on some eyebrow-raising comments she made about #MeToo -- calling women who speak out as looking "weak" -- and is setting the record straight.

LiLo issued a statement Sunday apologizing for her remarks and any harm inflicted. She says ... "The quote solely related to my hope that a handful of false testimonies out of a tsunami of heroic voices do not serve to dilute the importance of the #MeToo movement, and all of us who champion it."

She continues ... "However, I have since learned how statements like mine are seen as hurtful, which was never my intent. I’m sorry for any pain I may have caused."

The original comment came out recently in a Times interview, in which she criticized some women for coming out with their stories of sexual abuse way after the fact -- rather than address it in the moment -- and added speaking out now made strong women "look weak."