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
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
She dismissed the girl with a wave, and Margaret seemed only too happy to go, although she cast a sympathetic look toward Penelope as she backed out the door and hurried away.
From "The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling" by Maryrose Wood
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.
