at worst

Idioms  

1. Also, at the worst.

2. In the least favorable circumstance; under the most difficult conditions. For example, Convicted of taking a bribe, the official believed that at worst he would be sentenced to a few months in prison . [1500s]

3. In the least favorable view or supposition, as in No harm done; at the worst I'll copy the tax return again . Chaucer used this sense in Troilus and Cressida: “For at the worst, it may yet short our way.” [Late 1300s] For the antonym, see at best .

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Example Sentences

Consumption-fueled growth is seen, at best, as peculiarly American and, at worst, as decadent.

From The Wall Street Journal

Are these the kinds of important tasks you want to give a person who has already shown themselves to have bad judgment at best, and to be untrustworthy at worst?

From MarketWatch

Frank never established any obvious identity at Spurs, with fans quickly turning against what they saw as at best a pragmatic approach, and at worst a negative one.

From BBC

She barely appears alongside her husband, and when she does, her body language often reads as reluctant at best, contemptuous at worst.

From Salon

Knocking on doors felt intrusive at best, inconsiderate at worst.

From Salon

Related Words

• at least
• partially
• slightly
• somewhat