at best

Idioms  

1. Under the most favorable circumstances, as in At best we'll be just one week behind schedule, or Cleaning out the attic is a tedious job at best. This idiom, formerly also put as at the best, today is most often used in situations that are actually far from ideal, as in the examples above. [First half of 1300s] For an antonym, see at worst.

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Example Sentences

That change would likely be cosmetic at best.

From MarketWatch • May 22, 2026

The record of the very largest IPOs is spotty at best.

From Barron's • May 22, 2026

In contrast, Russia’s attempts to revive its own Cold War-era song contest, Intervision, have had mixed results at best.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 16, 2026

Won’t it be teeth-grindingly annoying, at best, if more people start parading their green virtues?

From Slate • May 15, 2026

Finally, we come to the jealousy and mostly benign neglect of her masters in Cairo, to whom Alexandria and her port were, at best, redundant, and at worst, a reminder of Egypt’s foreign-dominated past.

From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro

Related Words

• at least
• partially
• slightly
• somewhat