Not too bad
not too BAD
Informal Neutral
What it really means
A classic British understatement. As an answer to "How are you?" it usually means "quite good" or even "very good". British people often avoid sounding too enthusiastic, so "not bad" is real praise.
Chinese explanation
经典的英式轻描淡写。回答"你好吗"时通常意思是"挺好的"甚至"非常好"。英国人不喜欢显得太兴奋，所以"还不算差"其实就是不错的评价。
Example conversation
A: How's the new job going?
B: Not too bad, actually. The team's lovely.
A：新工作怎么样？
B：还真不错，团队人都很好。
All Politeness Decoder
Reviewed by the UK Decoded editorial team
· Last checked 24 July 2026 · Report a mistake