at the very least
141
3.4
- idiom
:
como mínimo
- You should at the very least apologize for your mistake.
- at the very least, it seems
- at the very least, it suggests
- at the very least, it fails
And that, at the very least, would make Einstein happy.
- And that, at the very least, would make Einstein happy.
- I think at the very least, it's going to need glasses.
- And at the very least it's a nice little neck workout.
- So start to recognize those things and remove them or at the very least limit them.
- And at the very least she has you to live for.
- So you should welcome it and embrace it, but at the very least, give it a try.
- It was what suggested the possibility of misconduct or at the very least, terrible errors.
- The SEC had to show that she knew her actions were questionable at the very least and illegal at the worst.
- In the sense that at the very least, incentives are a large part of culture, right.
Examples
-
I think at the very least, it's going to need glasses.
-
I think at the very least, they deserve that.
-
Maybe, at the very least it can form a connection with people.
-
And at the very least she has you to live for.
-
Please hang around or at the very least, stop by.
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Well, at the very least, it's private.
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Look, at the very least, It's gonna keep the press off your back for a couple of more days.
-
So I expect I have some cleaning to do, at the very least.
Fiction book (1993) -
Surely you can appreciate, at the very least, the genius of the concept.
-
So at the very least, it serves as a study of how conflict can be resolved.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
Not less than a certain amount or number
16
2.4
Not less than the minimum that is expected or needed
Says the smallest thing we can be sure of
Antonyms
How Minimal
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositional: 'least' denotes the smallest amount, 'very' intensifies that minimum, and 'at the' places it as a bound or reference point, so the overall meaning 'at minimum' is directly inferable from the parts. This quantifying pattern is common in English and across many languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would readily understand it.
Etymology
At the very least uses the idea of the least (the smallest amount) with very to make it stronger; imagine pointing to the lowest item on a list as the one you must have. So when you say 'at the very least', you mean 'the minimum' you need or should do.