at best

ADVERB

partly

Synonyms

STRONGEST

at least partially slightly somewhat

WEAK

at most at worst bit by bit by degrees carelessly halfway in a general way in bits and pieces in part in some measure in some ways inadequately incompletely insufficiently little by little measurably not entirely not fully not strictly speaking not wholly notably noticeably piece by piece piecemeal relatively so far as possible to a certain degree to a certain extent up to a certain point within limits

Antonyms

WEAK

completely totally wholly

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.

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at best

“The track record of memecoins has been rocky at best, and it was not clear that this issue had either the backer or the timing to buck that trend.”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026

All of which is to concede that, while Cohn’s historic significance is, at best, minimal, his status as a menacing specter in the minds of liberal journalists has only grown.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

Moustapha said he was concerned by what he described as the UK government's "lacklustre at best" involvement, and in particular that no wellness check had yet taken place.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

If a claim is substantiated, the plagiarist is seen as sloppy or lazy at best, and fundamentally dishonest at worst.

From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026

If you have only a room, with a hot plate at best, you can’t save by cooking up huge lentil stews that can be frozen for the week ahead.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich

at best

Example Sentences

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