at worst

phrase

: under the worst circumstances

Examples of at worst in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Duckworth also faced backlash from critics who argued that her message was, at best, a series of hollow exhortations to simply try harder and, at worst, an insidious form of victim-blaming that ignored structural inequality. — Meghan O’Gieblyn, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026

For the novice, wine can be mysterious at best, and intimidating at worst. — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 10 Sep. 2026

For a quarterback who got $12 million in NIL to start at Michigan, that's underwhelming at best and potentially career changing at worst. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 10 Sep. 2026

And without one, treatment becomes guesswork, ineffective at best, harmful at worst. — Jerome Groopman, The New York Review of Books, 5 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for at worst

• accursed
• amerced
• cloudburst
• coerced
• conversed
• disbursed
• dispersed
• headfirst
• immersed
• outburst
• rehearsed
• reversed