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.
Hopefully, Lilysilk gave the designer who came up with this brilliant idea a raise, or at the very least, a dedicated parking spot. Katie Jackson, Travel + Leisure, 10 Apr. 2025 For those occupying the overlapping category of Trump supporter and fetal-personhood booster, this would seem to present, at the least, a rhetorical problem. Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2025 Jason Falkner and Jon Brion went on to become cult legends, at the very least. Chris Willman, Variety, 12 Apr. 2025 But at the very least, says Brobeck, use those two websites to supplement the info your prospective agent provides. Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 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 17 Apr. 2025.

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