not as black as one is painted: meaning & examples

Meanings:

• 1.

  General EnglishBritish Englishidiomaticformalinformal
  • Not as bad, unpleasant, or wicked as people have described; less severe than reputation or criticism suggests.
  • Used to defend or mitigate a person or thing's negative portrayal by others.

  Examples

  Beta

  • Despite the rumors, the new manager is not as black as one is painted; she’s quite fair and approachable.

    A pesar de los rumores, la nueva gerente no es tan mala como la pintan; es bastante justa y accesible.

  • He’s not as black as one is painted — his mistakes have been exaggerated by the media.

    Él no es tan malo como lo pintan; sus errores han sido exagerados por los medios.

  • People say the neighborhood is dangerous, but it’s not as black as one is painted.

    La gente dice que el vecindario es peligroso, pero no es tan malo como lo pintan.