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.
Intimately acquainted with Richard’s malignity, these ruined royals know only too well the toll of his depraved machinations.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 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
I was only too delighted to have the singles back in my life again.
From Salon • Dec. 23, 2025
It’s a phenomenon that Matt Eberflus knows only too well.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 15, 2025
“Your friends were only too willing to tell me where you were headed and why in exchange for letting them go. Lake Prince, is it?”
From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken
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.
