not bad

Idioms  

1. Also, not half bad;; not too shabby. Fairly good, as in Not bad, said the conductor, but we need to play the scherzo again, or The movie wasn't half bad, but Jerry wanted to go home, or Our garden's not too bad this year, or How are things going?—Not too shabby. All of the terms involving bad, which imply that something is less bad than it might be, date from the mid-1700s. The last variant, using shabby in the sense of “inferior,” is slang of the late 1900s.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

not bad

The women who have these thoughts are not bad or evil.

From Slate ● Sep. 5, 2026

Tribak described his life as "not bad", but told AFP: "I thought I would earn more if I put in the same effort there as I do here."

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

It’s not bad for someone who just a few years ago needed to work up the courage to see himself as a director.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026

"I'm going to say it's not bad at all. This is going to change my life to the good, for sure," said Gkolomeev.

From BBC ● May 25, 2026

The picture was not bad; in fact, it was quite good.

From "Ralph S. Mouse" by Beverly Cleary

Related Words

• adequate
• allowable
• bearable
• decent
• livable
• presentable
• respectable
• satisfactory
• sufficient
• sustainable