Iconic Close Enough rage comic character with frustrated-satisfied expression.

Close Enough

2010Rage comic face / reaction imageclassic

Published March 31, 2026

Also known as: Close Enough Guy

Close Enough is a rage comic character used to express mild satisfaction with an outcome that falls short of the ideal. The face first appeared in a compilation posted on humor site Regretful Morning on March 17th, 2010, derived from the existing "Fuck Yea" rage comic expression4. It became one of the most recognizable rage comic faces of the early 2010s, spreading across Reddit, Memebase, and international humor communities3.

rage comics reaction memes early 2010s memes facial expression memes cheezburger network memes

Overview

Close Enough, a crudely drawn rage comic face showing a man with squinted eyes and a slightly smug, self-satisfied expression. The face signals that something didn't go exactly as planned, but the result was acceptable enough to move on without complaint4. It's the visual equivalent of shrugging and saying "eh, good enough."

The character typically appears in the final panel of a multi-panel rage comic. The setup shows a person attempting something, the middle panels reveal the attempt falling short, and the last panel drops the Close Enough face to indicate the person has decided the imperfect result is fine5. The humor comes from the gap between what was intended and what actually happened, paired with the character's unbothered acceptance of the situation.

Origin & Background

Platform
Regretful Morning (humor blog)
Creator
Unknown
Date
2010

The Close Enough Guy made one of its first known appearances on March 17th, 2010, when humor site Regretful Morning published a compilation of "Fuck Yeah" rage comics4. One comic in the set depicted a character who had just had sex but failed to bring his partner to orgasm, ending with the distinctive squinting face and the caption "Close Enough"4.

The facial expression itself is a modification of the existing Fuck Yea rage comic character. Where Fuck Yea conveyed triumphant satisfaction, Close Enough dialed it back to something more like resigned contentment. The slight change in expression turned a celebration into a concession4.

How It Spread

On April 20th, 2010, Regretful Morning posted a second compilation dedicated entirely to Close Enough comics, featuring 20 different scenarios4. About ten days later, humor aggregator Acid Cow reposted the same set of 20 comics in a shuffled order4.

By late 2010, Close Enough comics started showing up on LOLBlog and Cheezburger's Memebase section2. The format was a natural fit for Memebase's rage comic community, and the site hosted a growing archive tagged under "Close Enough"3.

Reddit became the biggest hub for user-generated Close Enough comics. By September 2012, over 330 rage comics with "Close Enough" in the title had been posted across Reddit's subreddits4. The meme also picked up international traction, with dedicated sections appearing on Rage Comics Romania1 and Rage Comics Archive4.

The format followed the same arc as the broader rage comic trend. It peaked between 2011 and 2013, then gradually faded as image macros, reaction GIFs, and newer meme formats took over. The phrase "close enough" itself stuck around in internet slang long after the rage comic format fell out of regular use5.

Frequently Asked Questions