in the least

Idioms  

1. Also, in the slightest. At all, in the smallest degree. These terms are nearly always used in a negative context. For example, I don't care in the least what you do with the money, or It doesn't matter in the slightest whether or not you attend. [c. 1600] They may also be put as not in the least or not in the slightest, as in I am not in the least worried about the outcome, or The heat doesn't bother me in the slightest. In the least dates from about 1600; in the slightest has been used in the sense of “emphatically unimportant or trifling” since the late 1500s.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

in the least

Not in the least fanciful is “Lucky,” created by Jonathan Tropper from Marissa Stapley’s substantially different novel of the same name.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026

In comparison, men and women in the least deprived areas spend over 80% of their lives in good health.

From BBC ● Feb. 19, 2026

Coordinated expenditure limits last year for Senate candidates ranged from $123,600 in the least populated states to $3,772,100 in the most.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 7, 2025

American carries more debt than Delta or United, but it also has the newest fleet among the three and is probably in the least rush to replace aging jets.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2025

I told myself I’d forgotten Peter and no longer liked him in the least.

From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank