at the (very) least
idiom
—used to indicate the least thing that is true, acceptable, desirable, or certain to happen
He wanted to win the race, or at the least, to finish second.
It will change your life or, at the very least, teach you something new.
At the very least, she deserves to be heard.
Examples of at the (very) least in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But Continental Pictures’ Remick era, at the very least, seems not to be an outright disaster.
—
Keith Phipps, Vulture, 7 May 2025
Effectively, anybody who assists the debtor in evading a judgment is potentially buying into the judgment themselves, or at the very least exposing themselves to the creditor's attorney fees to attempt to remedy the judgment evasion.
—Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 6 May 2025
The Charity character, too, is played for laughs at times, but the latest offering in the Simple Favor world at the very least doesn't go too far to show just how horrifying Emily's predicament came to be.
—Dory Jackson, People.com, 5 May 2025
Couples usually have a good sense which of their speakers is going to be great—or at the very least, sane and reliable.
—Jon Posen, Vogue, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for at the (very) least
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Keith Phipps, Vulture, 7 May 2025
Effectively, anybody who assists the debtor in evading a judgment is potentially buying into the judgment themselves, or at the very least exposing themselves to the creditor's attorney fees to attempt to remedy the judgment evasion.
—Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 6 May 2025
The Charity character, too, is played for laughs at times, but the latest offering in the Simple Favor world at the very least doesn't go too far to show just how horrifying Emily's predicament came to be.
—Dory Jackson, People.com, 5 May 2025
Couples usually have a good sense which of their speakers is going to be great—or at the very least, sane and reliable.
—Jon Posen, Vogue, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for at the (very) least
Cite this Entry
“At the (very) least.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/at%20the%20%28very%29%20least. Accessed 19 May. 2025.
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