in the slightest
20
3.8
- idiom
- Does that bother you in the slightest?
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Watch on YouTubeNature does not care in the slightest about the individual.
- Nature does not care in the slightest about the individual.
- So the reality is I'm not in the slightest bit scared of death.
- I don't think anyone could reproach us in the slightest.
- I don't know who I don't believe that in the slightest.
- Oh, mostly, I don't think it's going to change my behaviour in the slightest.
- And I'd imagine that he will come looking for me with a gun, which I'm not fazed in the slightest.
- No, this doesn't sound appealing in the slightest because I don't like orange juice is I can't sip orange juice.
- It's definitely not healthy in the slightest, but if you're just like craving something really rich, got this Asian vegetable mix cooked frozen shrimp.
Examples
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The fact that I am outnumbered here doesn't matter to me in the slightest.
Blog text (13) -
Not that it would have disturbed me in the slightest if I had known.
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Nature does not care in the slightest about the individual.
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I am not worked up in the slightest.
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Not even in the slightest.
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Not amusing, my darling, not in the slightest.
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You don't care about it in the slightest?
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The fact that he had then given her a B+ had not soothed her in the slightest.
Fiction book (1991) -
But no, my faith in my fellow human has not been shaken in the slightest.
Blog text (13) -
I do not mind in the slightest when it rains during the picnic.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
It means in any way or to any extent and often makes negative sentences and questions stronger
∞
1.0
In no way
50
4.4
Not at all, not even a little
16
1.3
In any way, even the smallest amount
How Much
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase literally means 'in the smallest degree' and this is directly derivable from 'in' + 'the' + 'slight' (i.e. the slightest amount), so a B1 learner who knows 'slight' as 'small in degree' will understand it as 'not at all' in negative contexts. The compositional pattern (using 'the slightest' to mean the smallest degree) is common cross-linguistically and follows normal English degree-expression patterns, making it transparent.
Etymology
The idiom in the slightest comes from the idea of a slight, a very small amount. The image is that even the smallest bit is not there, so it is used to say 'not at all'.