Sit Well – Meaning and Examples
Imagine hearing an unfair rumor about a friend, or seeing a company make a bad decision. These things can make you feel uneasy or uncomfortable. When an idea, situation, or piece of news is agreeable or acceptable to someone, we say it sits well with them. This phrase is almost always used in the negative to express disagreement, discomfort, or disapproval.
What Does “Sit Well” Mean?
The phrase “sit well” means to be acceptable, agreeable, or satisfactory to a person. Figuratively, it suggests that the idea or fact is comfortable resting inside one’s mind or conscience, like food that digests easily. It is most often used in the negative form, such as “it **doesn’t sit well** with me,” meaning the person finds the situation morally or emotionally unacceptable.
When to Use It
You can use sit well when discussing moral judgments, personal feelings about decisions, or professional ethics.
- Ethics: The company’s decision to fire staff before the holidays didn’t sit well with the public.
- Decisions: Her explanation for the missing money did not sit well with the police investigators.
- Personal Feelings: The way my manager spoke to the client didn’t sit well with my professional standards.
This phrase is informal and powerful, used to express strong disapproval.
Example Sentences
- The new safety rules do not sit well with the factory workers, who feel they slow down production.
- It didn’t sit well with him that she got all the credit for the work he had done.
- As a chef, the thought of serving day-old bread just doesn’t sit well.
- His refusal to apologize for his mistake will not sit well with the board members.
Mini Dialogue
Alex: “I heard they used unfair tactics to win the election.”
Jamie: “That doesn’t sit well with me at all. Winning should be done fairly.”
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Do not use this phrase to talk about physically sitting or digesting food, unless using the original literal sense (which is less common).
❌ Don’t: “The chair doesn’t sit well, it’s too hard.” (This is incorrect. Use “The chair is uncomfortable.”)
✅ Do: “The lack of explanation for the budget cut did not sit well with the department.” (This means the department found the cut unacceptable.)
Practice Tip
Think of a difficult choice you recently saw a company or politician make. Write one sentence explaining why that choice did not sit well with you.
Final Note
Using sit well is a clear and idiomatic way to express your moral or emotional objection to a situation. Practice using this phrase, especially in its common negative form!
