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.
Suryakumar is only too aware that India, the top-ranked T20 team in the world, are overwhelming favourites to retain their title .
From Barron's ● Feb. 6, 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
I was only too delighted to have the singles back in my life again.
From Salon ● Dec. 23, 2025
Carmakers, meanwhile, are only too happy to meet that demand, because building bigger cars can be more profitable, argues David Leggett, editor of industry intelligence website Just Auto.
From BBC ● Dec. 2, 2025
When he is older and thus when so little of the person he was survives, the scholarship boy makes only too apparent his profound lack of self-confidence.
From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez
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.
