What is a backhanded compliment exactly? Ever heard those weird compliments where it sounds like the person said something nice about you, but for some reason, you actually feel insulted? Yeah, that would be it.
A backhanded compliment is that weird interaction when somebody gives a nice comment about your appearance or achievement, or anything else about you — for example, “I really like your hair color!” — but then adds something that implies that up until this moment, this feature of yours was really not up to standard, something along the lines of “It is so much better than the color you had before!” How does that sound? Exactly. Like until now, you were walking around with really ugly hair. Not much of a compliment, is it?
There are two main reasons why people might give you backhanded compliments. One is they don’t know any better. They genuinely want to praise you, and to show you how much they appreciate your new look or achievement, they compare it to a time when — in their opinion — it wasn’t as good. If that’s the case, just accept the compliment and ignore the rest.
On the other hand, there are instances where people actually want to be mean to you but, for whatever reason, can’t do it directly, so they resort to insulting compliments. For moments like this, you need to be ready and know how to respond to insults. In my opinion, there is no need to get angry and annoyed; instead, a returned funny compliment with a double meaning will do the trick.
For this article, we have collected some backhanded compliment examples. What was the most ridiculous one you have ever received and how did you respond to it?
#1 “I Wish I Was As Smart As You Think You Are”
Image source: the_hokey_pokey
#2 “I Hope The Rest Of Your Day Is As Pleasant As You Are!”
Image source: AllRebelRocker
#3 “You Look Amazing For Your Age”
#4 “You’re Not As Dumb As You Look”
#5 “You [Do Activity Well], For A Woman”
#6 “I Wish I Didn’t Have Any Responsibilities Like You”
#7 “You’ve Got A Face For Radio!”
Image source: MattyAmerica1
#8 “You’re Super Cool And Sweet, Too Bad You’re Short”
Image source: Aaron10Fulgham
#9 “You Look Tired”
Image source: reddit.com
#10 “I Wish I Could Find A Guy Like You”
Image source: Bulugaz
#11 “You Have Nice Handwriting, For A Man”
Image source: lightmaster2000
#12 “I Know How Beautiful You Can Be With Make Up On”
Image source: reddit.com
#13 “I Didn’t Expect You To Get The Job – Congratulations!”
#14 “You’re Pretty… On The Inside”
#15 “You Look Great. Have You Lost Weight?”
#16 “I Always Feel More Intelligent After Reading Your Work”
#17 “That’s A Beautiful Photo Of You. I Didn’t Recognize You At First”
#18 “I Wish I Was As Relaxed As You Are About Messiness”
#19 “You’re So Independent — It’s No Wonder You Haven’t Found Anyone Yet”
#20 “I Bet You Were In Great Shape When You Were Younger”
#21 “It’s A Good Thing You’re Pretty”
Image source: BustyMcLeod
#22 “You’re Pretty When You’re Quiet”
Image source: GreenEggsandHam6
#23 “I Think It’s Really Cool That You Don’t Wear Makeup. I Could Never Be That Brave!”
Image source: ingrid_mae
#24 “You’re Amazing For Going Back To Work. I Could Never Let A Stranger Watch My Kids!”
#25 “You’re So Pretty For A [Insert Minority Here]!”
#26 “How Is The View From The Top Of The Bell Curve?”
Image source: shitz_brickz
#27 “You’re Perfect For Me, Just Not Perfect For Me Right Now”
Image source: BurlyLumberjack
#28 “You’ve Got A Great Smile — Use It!”
#29 “Real Women Have Curves”
#30 “Your Haircut Makes Your Nose Look Smaller”
#31 “You Look Really Nice In This Light”
#32 “Your Instagram Makes You Seem So Fun!”
#33 “Those Earrings Are So Nice. My Grandma Would Love Them”
#34 “Well, Half Your Outfit Looks Fabulous”
#35 “You Clean Up So Well!”
#36 “Have You Pooped Today? You Look Thin In The Middle”
Image source: dnuts4u
#37 “I Don’t Care What They Say About You, You’re Alright”
Image source: iTzFazy
#38 “Wow, You’re A Lot Better Looking In Person!”
Image source: GlareBear
#39 “I Used To Think You Were Hot When I First Met You”
Image source: megamanz7777
#40 “You Are The Only Person I Know That Suits Being Awkward”
Image source: The_Vigilante
#41 “Your Skin Looks So Much Better!”
#42 “I Can’t Believe You Just Had A Kid. You Look Amazing!”
#43 “Your Hair Is Beautiful. Is It Real?”
#44 “You Look Great — Fit, But Not Too Muscular”
#45 “Your House Feels So Cozy And Lived In”
#46 “That New Haircut Suits You So Much Better Than Your Old One”
#47 “I Would Never Be Able To Pull Off That Outfit”
#48 “The Way You’ve Overcome Your Disability Is So Inspiring!”
#49 “You’re A Lot Lighter Than You Look”
Image source: bimonscificon
#50 “But Why Would You Get Tattoos? You’re Such A Pretty Girl!”
Image source: RatApples
#51 “You’ve Got A Face For Television But A Personality For The Internet”
Image source: reddit.com
#52 “You’re Actually Handsome For Being A Redhead”
Image source: redvelvetBackwards
#53 “You Are Deceivingly Attractive”
Image source: BirdsInTheNest
#54 “You’re So Charming When You Make An Effort”
#55 “You Look So Professional With Your Hair Straight”
#56 “You’re Really Fast For Your Size”
#57 “You Must Be So Happy To Have Your House Remodeling Done. I Wouldn’t Have Guessed Siding Came In That Color”
#58 “The People Who Do (X Job) Don’t Have To Be Smart At All. You Could Even Do (X Job)!”
Image source: Johnjo01
#59 “Your Haircut Really Slims Your Face”
Image source: reddit.com
#60 “The Good Thing About Colleague X Is That You Never Have To Worry About Him Over Thinking It”
Image source: STALUC
#61 “You’re Very Eloquent For Someone With That Accent”
Image source: saviorself19
#62 “Well, I’m Not Dating You For Your Looks”
Image source: fuckall_methodology
#63 “You’re So Brave To Wear That”
#64 “That’s Not The Ugliest Shirt I’ve Seen You Wear”
#65 “You Might Not Be The Prettiest, But You’re Definitely The Funniest!”
#66 “I Love How You Don’t Care How You Come Across”
#67 “You Don’t Even Look Pregnant!”
#68 “Your Wife Isn’t Half As Lucky As You Are”
#69 “Those Pants Make You Look Far Thinner”
#70 “God, Your Body Is So Perfect From The Waist Down”
Image source: abigailpierce
#71 “You’ve Got Such An Exotic Look”
#72 “You Have Such Strong Features!”
#73 “You’re So Articulate”
#74 “You Look So Much More Awake With Makeup”
#75 “Your English Is So Good!”
#76 “You’re Really Funny… In Your Own Way”
#77 “Congratulations On Your Promotion! That’s Great Your Employer Settled For You”
#78 “You Don’t Sweat Much For A Overweight Chick”
Image source: TJtheV
#79 “This One Looks Much Better Than The Last One!”
Image source: AjdaIsHere
#80 “You Look Good For 30, Lol I Just Turned 21 Around Then”
Image source: JuiceGasLean
#81 “The Back Of Your Hand Is So Smooth And Beautiful!”
Image source: reddit.com
Follow Us
