GRB tells TMZ ... her heartfelt tribute on TikTok -- which mentioned her late mother, Dee Dee, as well as other mother figures in her life -- was simply meant to acknowledge her stepmother Kristy and boyfriend Ken Urker's mom ... as they've done a lot for her in recent years.

We're told the post was in no way meant to be disrespectful to Dee -- whose name she invoked in her lengthy tribute, which a lot of people took offense to ... and yet, Gypsy's being inundated with hate as a result -- including some major threats on her safety.

She adds ... "When I said that I hope my mom is proud of me, people are thinking I meant she would be proud of the murder. That is obviously not what I meant. I meant she would be proud of me in heaven, like getting my GED, moving towards independence and learning how to cook, clean, having my own bank account etc."

Despite turning off the comments, GRB says she's been hit with a number of negative messages in her DMs ... including death threats, which Gypsy has since reported. We got a hold of some of the messages that are pouring into her inbox ... and it's clear people are blowing her up, a majority of which we're told are people writing in to slam her, or worse.

She defended herself, adding ... "Because of what happened with my mom, that shouldn’t make me exempt from wishing the other women in my life a HMD ... I didn’t say this because of my balls and audacity, I did this message because I have women in my life that are supportive."

Remember, Gypsy Rose served 8 years in prison for the role she played in her mother's murder. Their complicated relationship was dramatized for Hulu's miniseries, "The Act," in which Joey King and Patricia Arquette played the infamous mother-daughter duo.

Now, as for how Gypsy Rose spent Mother's Day ... we're told she enjoyed a lowkey day, where she and her stepmom watched chick flicks and just relaxed. Gypsy also cooked dinner for Kristy, who received a teddy bear and a glass ornament as a Mother's Day gift.