Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
rock-bottom level

rock-bottom level

4.4
The lowest point something can reach
  • noun
translation icon : nivel más bajo
  • The company's profits reached a rock-bottom level last year.

Examples

  • The team’s morale hit a rock-bottom level following its seventh consecutive defeat.

  • We are at a rock-bottom level of customer satisfaction.

  • After losing his job, his confidence sank to a rock-bottom level.

  • Consumer trust in the company reached a rock-bottom level after the scandal.

  • After months of economic downturn, the stock market finally hit a rock-bottom level that many had feared.

  • The team's performance this season reached a rock-bottom level, prompting fans to question their loyalty.

  • With unemployment at a rock-bottom level, the government announced new measures to boost job creation.

Synonyms

rock bottom
vsrock-bottom level
  • Informal
35 4.4

A very low point in life, money, or feelings

is the same meaning but used as a hyphenated phrase with added noun
floor
vsrock-bottom level
  • Specialized
31 5.2

A lowest allowed level for a price or wage

describes any lowest possible point, not only official or fixed limits
low-water mark
vsrock-bottom level
6.5

The lowest or worst point in a situation

is neutral and does not stress that it is the worst point

How Low

rock-bottom level
4.4
low
∞ 1.0
moderate
415 3.3
high-level
136 4.2

Surface Forms

rock-bottom level singular
rock-bottom levels plural

Morphology

rock-bottom + level

The element 'bottom' clearly signals a low point, so a learner who knows the parts can approximate that the phrase means a very low level; however 'rock-bottom' is a lexicalized intensifier where 'rock' does not contribute a literal, compositional sense. Because the compound is partly predictable from 'bottom' but relies on a fixed, idiomaticized form for the exact meaning, this is best classified as semi-transparent.

Etymology

Rock-bottom level may come from the simple image of hitting the hard rock at the very bottom of a hole or the sea. Once you hit the rock you cannot go any lower, so it means 'the lowest possible point' today.