quite all right

British and Australian English
This page is about the conversational phrase quite all right

Meaning

This is a polite thing to say after someone has apologized or said 'sorry' to you.

For example

  • "I'm really sorry about this."
    "It's quite all right. Don't worry about it."

  • "Sorry to interrupt. I thought you were alone."
    "That's quite all right. Come on in."

Note:
Also "It's quite OK" and "That's quite OK". All these expressions with "quite" are a little more formal than the same expressions without "quite", such as "It's all right" and "That's OK".

Variety

This is typically used in British and Australian English but may be used in other varieties of English too.

Quick Quiz

You can say "It's quite all right" after someone's said

a. "Sorry I'm late."

b. "I hope you're sorry."

c. "He said he was sorry."
a) "Sorry I'm late." b) "I hope you're sorry." c) "He said he was sorry."

Contributor: Matt Errey