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.

"There is no clear strategy uniting these efforts, and engagement across departments and with local authorities is patchy at best."

From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026

Valuing a company that hasn’t made money at $1.8 trillion seems aggressive at best, foolhardy at worst.

From Barron's • Jun. 3, 2026

The disturbing thing is that it’s a question whose answer, to any well-read observer, is uncertain at best.

From Slate • May 27, 2026

That change would likely be cosmetic at best.

From MarketWatch • May 22, 2026

Unfortunately, nothing would have survived from such an encounter except, at best, a few fossilised bones and a handful of stone tools that remain mute under the most intense scholarly inquisitions.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari

at best

Example Sentences

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