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

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Or, at the very least, did an excellent job of hiding it. Shania Russell, EW.com, 24 Feb. 2025 This likely means Ouattara is good for a start in Gameweek 27 at the very least, but going forward he may get rotated and his minutes may be reduced. Abdul Rehman, The Athletic, 24 Feb. 2025 Bishop claims he was maliciously prosecuted, and insists, at the very least, he was oversentenced. David Peisner, Rolling Stone, 23 Feb. 2025 Worth an empathetic conversation, at the very least. The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for at the (very) least

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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 3 Mar. 2025.

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