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

Examples of at best in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Mistruths, false claims, scams, and other deceptive efforts are tricking people into thinking that a watermark removal app will do wonders, whereas the reality is that the results are at best half-mixed or aimed to cause damage. — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2026

Coaching searches are, at best, farcical, the truth lying somewhere between fans’ fanatical wishes, reported contacts and actual interviews. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026

Afghanistan’s women are today treated like property at best, and criminals at worst. — Mark Sappenfield, Christian Science Monitor, 14 Aug. 2026

And even though access to such banalities may sound brain-deadening, and at best dull, some of the most famous people in the world are now live-streamers. — Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1556, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for at best

• abreast
• accessed
• addressed
• appressed
• armrest
• arrest
• assessed
• attest
• backrest
• behest
• bequest
• caressed