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

He may have been born in Cordoba, northern Argentina, but after five years at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the notion of Romero being allowed to head the four miles south to the Emirates feels extremely problematic at best, sacrilegious at worst. — Tim Spiers, New York Times, 9 Aug. 2026

Thune has said that support for the budget resolution in his conference remains unclear, and the path forward on a third reconciliation package is murky at best. — Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026

Most of these posts and videos barely get any attention, racking up only, at best, a few hundred likes and a few thousand views. — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 6 Aug. 2026

Trump devotees are left with incomplete (at best) information. — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 4 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