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.

It was, she wrote, “a retort to all the eye-rollers,” including herself, who dismissed his work “as, at best, a guilty pleasure.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 12, 2026

The result is a metaphysical model that, at best, lacks clarity, and at worst obscures the very nature of reality.

From Science Daily • Jun. 8, 2026

Cash incentives—the go-to tool of governments from Budapest to Seoul—have produced at best a temporary blip.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 2026

The problem is that the governance structures in these companies are adolescent at best, ill-equipped to handle their rapid rate of revenue growth, their evolving business models, and their swiftly changing capital structures.

From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026

Seldom is any mention made of an operation which is non- associative, so the definition seems unnecessary at best.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos

at best

Example Sentences

Related Words