at best
phrase
: under the most favorable circumstances
won't be finished for another three months at best
At best, you will earn back what you paid in.
He's an average writer at best.
… was among the worst schools in a city whose public education could be described as struggling, at best.—
Ann Carrns
Ann CarrnsExamples of at best in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
To think that risk disappears when hiring an expert is, at best, naïve and, at worst, strategically negligent.
—
Vicente Pava,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2026
But this narrative of the USMNT winning formula is, at worst, wrong and at best, incomplete.
—
Michael Morris,
Time,
1 July 2026
For years, testing was spotty at best, and doctors often weren’t aware of the syndrome.
—
Burkhard Bilger,
New Yorker,
29 June 2026
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Vicente Pava,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2026
But this narrative of the USMNT winning formula is, at worst, wrong and at best, incomplete.
—
Michael Morris,
Time,
1 July 2026
For years, testing was spotty at best, and doctors often weren’t aware of the syndrome.
—
Burkhard Bilger,
New Yorker,
29 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“At best.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/at%20best. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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