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

Almost all of Pereira was left without electricity, and the cell network is patchy at best.

From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026

But without a built-in funding mechanism, that realistically means that funding, if any, is year-by-year and unpredictable at best.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

In the 2001 trial, Giaka was to be a "key" witness in the prosecution's case but the four judges described some of his evidence as "at best grossly exaggerated and at worst simply untrue".

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

However, they were all conducted in the 1980s and ’90s, and the FDA described the results as “inconclusive and at best preliminary.”

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026

The children’s memories of their former friends in Plinkst were bittersweet at best, heartrending at worst, but the heel-clicking gesture was both invigorating and enjoyable, and they saw no reason to give it up.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

Related Words

• at least
• partially
• slightly
• somewhat