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.
They know only too well the pressure they can place on youngsters who have so much growing up and so much development ahead of them.
From BBC • Mar. 19, 2026
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
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.
