Have you ever been called lame before? It can be a bummer, especially if you’re someone who prides themselves on being cool, interesting, and fun.
But fear not, because, in this article, we’ve got your back! We’ve compiled a list of 20 of the best responses you can use when someone calls you lame, ranging from witty comebacks to thoughtful and empowering responses.
Before we dive into the list, let’s take a moment to unpack the term lame. While some may use it to describe someone who’s uncool or boring, others may use it to describe someone who’s physically disabled.
Regardless of the context, being called lame can be hurtful and disrespectful. That’s why it’s important to respond with confidence and assertiveness.
Now, back to the list, I’ve got 20 responses that will help you navigate situations where you’re called lame with grace and humor.
Whether you want to shut down the insult or turn it into a playful joke, I’ve got you covered, and I’ve got something for everyone.
20 Things To Say When Someone Calls You Lame
We’ve all been there. Whether from friends, family members, or coworkers, at some point someone is bound to toss out a casual yet cutting remark criticizing you as lame.
But being branded as such is the last thing you want to be – so how do you hit back with humor and grace? With the perfect quip at the ready, you can turn the tables and leave the detractor stumped rather than you.
From clever comebacks to charming quips, here are 20 things to say when someone thoughtlessly calls you lame:
- Your face is lame.
- Takes one to know one.
- Well, the crap store called, they are running out of pieces of you!
- At least I’m not so lame that I have to put others down to feel better about myself.
- If you’re going to act like a troll, you’ll soon live under a bridge.
- I may be lame, but you’re a whole circus.
- Well, that’s just your funny opinion, man.
- Oh no, some random person on the internet thinks I’m lame. However, will I go on?
- I don’t need your opinion and I don’t think I ever will.
- Call me what you want, I don’t give a lame duck.
- I’d agree with you, but then we’d both be lame.
- If you’ll be double-faced. Well, make one of those faces beautiful.
- If being lame means I don’t resort to name-calling, then guilty as charged.
- I’d make a witty comeback, but I don’t want to stoop to your level.
- Thank you for pointing out my many flaws, I feel so much better now.
- Bold talk from someone with no idea what lame means.
- To be candid, I don’t need a tadbit of your opinion, it doesn’t matter to me.
- Said the pot to the kettle.
- Me? Lame? That’s rich coming from you.
- When you call someone lame, the only person you make look lame is yourself.
1. Your face is lame
By using ‘your face is lame’, you’re mocking the whole notion of using ‘lame’ as an insult by turning it back on the critic. It may seem childish and ridiculous, but that’s what makes it so effective.
The over-the-top silliness of the comeback allows you to rise above the petty insult while still getting your laugh – and potentially leaving your detractor speechless.
Yup.
Not only is this response funny and witty, but it also shows that you’re not taking the insult seriously. It’s a way of saying, ‘I know you’re trying to hurt me, but I’m not going to let you.’
By responding with a phrase like ‘Your face is lame,’ you’re showing that you’re confident and quick-witted and that you’re not going to let someone else’s words bring you down.
2. Takes one to know one
Have you ever heard the classic kindergarten comeback, ‘Takes one to know one’? Well, it turns out that this quip can work wonders even in adulthood when someone calls you lame.
When you use this phrase, you’re reflecting the insult back on the critic with a dose of good-humored cheekiness.
The beauty of ‘Takes one to know one’ as a comeback is that it implies that the critic is actually the one who’s lame. This subverts the intended put-down through humor that charms rather than escalates conflict.
Rather than getting angry or defensive, you’re responding with a clever comeback that shows you’re not going to let their insult get to you.
3. Well. The crap store called, they are running out of pieces of you
The absurdity of this phrase comes from the idea that there’s a ‘crap store’ that’s running out of people like the critic.
This exerts comic dominance through the diversion of focus, which means that it’s funny and distracting enough to make the insult seem unimportant.
But there’s more to this comeback than just its humor. By implying that no more craps can be found like the critic, you’re leaving the insult-slinger momentarily speechless – and hopefully rethinking their need to denigrate others.
You’re showing that you’re not going to let their insult get to you and that you can come up with a clever response of your own.
4. At least I’m not so lame that I have to put others down to feel better about myself
Sometimes the best way to respond to an insult is with plainspoken perceptiveness. When someone calls you lame, you can turn things around by saying something like ‘At least I’m not so lame that I have to put others down to feel better about myself.’ This response is both enlightening and empowering.
By using this phrase, you’re not only defending yourself but also revealing the put-down for what it really is: a symptom of insecurity or unhappiness in the critic themselves.
This astute adage shows that you understand the situation and you’re not going to let their insult get to you.
5. If you’re going to act like a troll, you’ll soon live under a bridge
‘If you’re going to act like a troll, you’ll soon live under a bridge.’ is both amusing and effective to disperse the insult.
By comparing the critic to a ‘troll living under a bridge,’ you’re leveling an apt analogy that they are a troublemaker poking their head up only to harass others, which will make the insult-hurler seem pathetic rather than hurtful.
It’s a way of saying, ‘I’m not going to let your insult get to me because I know that you’re the one with the problem.’
6. I may be lame, but you’re a whole circus
If someone calls you lame, you can respond with the phrase ‘I may be lame, but you’re a whole circus.’ This comeback is funny and effective because it magnifies the critic’s shortcomings and implies that they’re the real problem.
By using humor to hijack and heighten their hostility, you’re shifting the target of mockery back onto them and turning them unto themselves.
With a perfect balance of cheek and charm, your comeback cuts the critic down to size while elevating your own spirit.
7. Well, that’s just your funny opinion, man
‘Well, that’s just your funny opinion, man.’ is funny and effective because it dismisses the insult with a dose of laid back levity.
By shrugging off the critic’s hot air as mere personal perspective, you refuse to engage their negativity on its own belittling terms. Instead, you rise above the fray to remind them – and any observers – that mean-spirited put-downs merit little more than a ‘that’s just, like, your opinion.’
The calming cool of your reaction scolds the critic more effectively than any scolding ever could. It shows that you’re not going to let their insult get to you and that you’re able to respond with humor and wit.
8. Oh no, some random person on the internet thinks I’m lame, However, will I go on?
By responding with a ‘Oh no, some random person on the internet thinks I’m lame, However, will I go on?’, you humorously highlight how little the criticism actually matters coming from a stranger.
It’s a way of saying, ‘I’m not going to let your insult get to me because you’re just some random person on the internet.’
Ridiculing the very notion that a careless insult from an anonymous detractor online could genuinely wound you, this comeback cleverly calls out the critic’s ego while shielding your own self-confidence. It shows that you’re not going to let their negativity bring you down
9. I’d agree with you, but then we’d both be lame
Instead of implying that the person criticizing you is also lame, you can simply say ‘I’d agree with you, but then we’d both be lame.’
This shows that you’re not taking their insult seriously and are even making a joke out of it. The humor comes from the fact that the insult-slinger is actually implicating themselves in their own insult.
By using this response, you’re not only showing confidence but also elevating yourself above the insult by implying that being in the same category as the critic would diminish you.
10. Call me what you want, I don’t give a lame duck
‘Call me what you want, I don’t give a lame duck.’ is a witty comeback that takes the sting out of their insult and makes it seem like a silly joke.
By using a fun animal reference, you turn a negative situation into something light and playful. This response shows that their words don’t affect you and that you’re comfortable with who you are.
It also leaves the critic with nothing to say and makes them look foolish for trying to bring you down.
11. I don’t need your opinion and I don’t think I ever will
‘I don’t need your opinion and I don’t think I ever will.’ lets them know that you didn’t ask for their judgment and they need to back off. It also implies that even if you did want their opinion, it wouldn’t matter anyway.
This clever comeback shows that you’re in control and not bothered by their insults. You come across as cool and collected while putting the critic in their place.
12. If you’ll be double-faced. Well, make one of those faces beautiful
‘If you’ll be double-faced. Well, make one of those faces beautiful’ is a sarcastic way of telling the critic to improve their personality.
The comparison to plastic surgery implies that their current personality is unattractive and needs a lot of work. By using this phrase, you’re not only criticizing their unkind character but also redefining what ‘ugliness’ really means.
Your clever response is both funny and truthful, and it cuts through the critic’s facade to reveal their true nature. It’s a witty way of offering advice that is both entertaining and insightful.
13. If being lame means I don’t resort to name-calling, then guilty as charged
‘If being lame means I don’t resort to name-calling, then guilty as charged’ is a retort which turns the tables on the critic by framing their insult as a compliment to your maturity and ethical standards.
By responding in this way, you’re showing that you’re not affected by their crude condemnation and are actually proud of your principled behavior.
You’re taking the high road, which positions you as the bigger person in the situation. By using the critic’s own insult to showcase your restrained response, you’re demonstrating how humor and humility can be more effective than hostility.
It’s a clever way of defusing the situation while coming out on top.
14. I’d make a witty comeback, but I don’t want to stoop to your level
Instead of throwing shade back at the critic, you can reply with ‘I’d make a witty comeback, but I don’t want to stoop to your level.’
By saying this, you’re contrasting yourself as someone who is too dignified to engage in the critic’s mean-spirited behavior.
You’re refusing to be pulled down to their level and instead, placing the responsibility of meanness back on the critic.
This response doesn’t actually provide a clever comeback, but the implication of restraint communicates a powerful message on its own.
It gives the impression that you’re superior to the critic without having to say it outright.
15. Thank you for pointing out my many flaws, I feel so much better now
‘I’d make a witty comeback, but I don’t want to stoop to your level’ ‘I’d make a witty comeback, but I don’t want to stoop to your level’ contrasts yourself as too dignified to ‘descend’ to the critic’s mean-spirited manner.
Declining to engage the negativity turns the tables to place the onus of meanness back where it belongs: on the critic themselves.
While not actually supplying a clever clap back, this clever claim to restraint communicates a sharp-tongued sting all its own. The implication of superiority without stating it outright lets your poise speak volumes.
16. Bold talk from someone with no idea what lame means
Daring the critic to define ‘lame’ themselves, ‘Bold talk from someone with no idea what lame means’ challenges the critic’s insult with a bit of playful disbelief.
By daring them to define the term they used, you’re casting doubt on their understanding of the insult they just threw at you. It’s like saying, ‘You don’t even know what you’re talking about, so why should I care?’
This dismissive approach can be more effective than a direct insult because it undermines the critic’s credibility. It’s like a sneaky little jab disguised as an innocent question.
17. To be candid, I don’t need a tidbit of your opinion, it doesn’t matter to me
‘To be candid, I don’t need a tidbit of your opinion, it doesn’t matter to me’ completely disengages you from the critic’s negative appraisal with a cool and collected attitude.
By refusing to take offense, you’re not giving the critic any power over you or your emotions. It’s like saying, ‘Your opinion doesn’t matter to me, so why should I even bother?’
This approach can be very effective because it leaves the insult hanging in the air, without any real impact. It’s like the insult has lost its power and its sting.
18. Said the pot to the kettle
‘Said the pot to the kettle’ turns the critic’s accusation back onto themselves by implying that they have the same flaw they’re criticizing you for, or even worse.
It’s like saying, ‘You’re no better than me, so don’t act like you are.’ The use of homely humor adds an extra layer of wit and cleverness.
By calling out the critic’s projection, you’re exposing their own flaws and deflecting their criticism back onto them. It’s a smart and effective way to turn the tables on the critic and show that their insult is baseless.
19. Me? Lame? That’s rich coming from you
‘Me? Lame? That’s rich coming from you’ uses humor to exaggerate the absurdity of the critic’s insult, highlighting the disconnect between who they are and who they think they can judge.
It’s like saying, ‘You’re in no position to criticize me, buddy.’ The use of humor adds an extra layer of wit and cleverness, while also showing that you’re not taking the insult too seriously.
20. When you call someone lame, the only person you make look lame is yourself
‘When you call someone lame, the only person you make look lame is yourself’ imparts a sage insight that can both instruct and insult the critic.
It suggests that putting others down is a sign of insecurity and ultimately reflects poorly on the person doing the insulting.
By pointing out the lameness of the critic’s behavior, you’re showing that you’re above their petty insults. It’s like saying, ‘You’re only making yourself look bad by trying to bring me down.’
Wrap Up
In conclusion, being called lame can be hurtful and leave you feeling embarrassed or ashamed. However, it’s important to remember that the opinions of others do not define your worth or character.
By responding to this insult with confidence and humor, you can take control of the situation and show that their words have no power over you.
In this article, I’ve provided 20 different responses to use when someone calls you lame. From witty comebacks to sincere thank-yous, we’ve covered a range of responses that can help you feel empowered and in control.
We’ve also explored the underlying reasons why someone might use this insult, and how to respond in a way that maintains your dignity and self-respect.
