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

See Examples For:

at best

Those types of responses have riled her critics, who have portrayed her as indecisive at best, and an opportunist at worst.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026

Senior club sources have said they found the comments "absolutely bizarre", and that it was "at best naive and at worst quite manipulative, and that is not a good look".

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

The platform however argues it is a "generic male voice" whose perceived similarity to Tsuda's is subjective at best, according to court records accessed by AFP.

From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026

These accusations and arguments, after all, are nutty at best.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

The chances of a successful test before July 20, he said, were fifty-fifty at best.

From "Bomb" by Steve Sheinkin

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Related Words

• at least
• partially
• slightly
• somewhat

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