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Definitions

bottom of the barrel

NOUN
remainder
Synonyms
STRONGEST
rest
STRONG
butt carry-over detritus dregs excess fragment garbage hangover heel junk leavings leftover obverse oddment overplus refuse relic remains remnant residuum ruins salvage scrap stump surplus trace vestige waste wreck wreckage
WEAK
odds and ends
Antonyms
STRONG
lack lot need possessions want whole
WEAK
base core
NOUN
rest
Synonyms
STRONGEST
others
STRONG
balance dregs dross excess heel leavings leftovers overplus remains remnant residual residue rump superfluity surplus
WEAK
odds and ends orts residum
Antonyms
STRONG
lack need want
WEAK
action activity base core energy
ADJECTIVE
imperfect
Synonyms
STRONGEST
immature incomplete inexact rudimentary sketchy warped
STRONG
dud garbage junk lemon limited low minus partial sick
WEAK
amiss below par bottom-of-the-barrel broken damaged defective deficient disfigured faulty few bugs impaired injured marred patchy schlocky two-bit undeveloped unfinished unsound vicious
Antonyms
STRONGEST
complete developed finished
STRONG
happy healthy moral well
WEAK
excellent faultless perfect pure unblemished unflawed

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.

Nygren is a value-stock investor, but that does not mean he scrapes the bottom of the barrel for the cheapest stocks.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 5, 2026

The horror space does not necessarily demand ingenuity; there’s an audience for even the worst drivel at the bottom of the barrel.

From Salon • Feb. 26, 2025

People are having to scrap the bottom of the barrel of optimism right now.

From BBC • Sep. 5, 2024

“You can be quite certain that at the bottom of the barrel of that supply chain, someone is making next to nothing,” Gutfreund says.

From National Geographic • Feb. 5, 2024

By the end of the first week, I was scrounging at the bottom of the barrel for deals to make.

From "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie" by Jordan Sonnenblick