only too
Idioms-
At the very least, as a matter of fact, as in I know only too well that I can't win the lottery . This usage was first recorded in 1817.
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Very, extremely, as in I am only too glad to help . This usage was first recorded in 1899.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Her characters's cancer diagnosis is something she understands sadly only too well.
From BBC ● Mar. 2, 2026
City know the dangers of the play-off round only too well after being dumped out at that stage by Real Madrid 12 months ago.
From Barron's ● Jan. 28, 2026
Denmark had long said that it was only too happy to see an increased American military presence on Greenland.
From BBC ● Jan. 21, 2026
Which, as spies know only too well, can only exist when you accept, and share, the real truth about yourself.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 15, 2026
Kehaar’s speech was so outlandish and distorted at the best of times that it was only too common for the rabbits to be unsure what he meant.
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
