the least bit
51
3.7
- idiom
- When she finally saw him standing there, she didn't seem the least bit surprised.
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Watch on YouTubeThey're out, and I'm not being in the least bit hyperbolic.
- They're out, and I'm not being in the least bit hyperbolic.
- This has such a beautiful tone to it and it's not chunky in the least bit.
- And while many authoritarians won't be impressed by this argument, I don't see why we should be the least bit impressed in return.
- To make this a little clearer, our livers and our lungs and our kidneys, they're they're fine, but they're in no way, not the least bit extraordinary.
Examples
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Oklahoma?" This time he was not the least bit put off.
Fiction book (1998) -
I can assure you this is not the least bit amusing.
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I am not the least bit interested in your future plans.
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Well, now, I wonder if any of you have seen anything in the least bit out of the ordinary around here lately.
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Here and there, I saw lips moving; I was not the least bit nervous myself.
Academic text (2013) -
Is there something about my expression that suggests I'm the least bit interested?
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I don't feel the least bit bad about it.
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I wasn't the least bit concerned with the state of your soul.
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In her bright yellow dress, gold hoop earrings swaying, Rose didn't appear the least bit mournful.
Fiction book (1998) -
Aren't you even the least bit sorry for what you did?
Synonyms
∞
1.0
It means in any way or to any extent and often makes negative sentences and questions stronger
∞
1.0
To a small degree or amount
46
4.4
Not at all, not even a little
How Little
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'in the smallest possible degree' is directly and transparently built from 'least' (the smallest degree) + 'bit' (a small amount), with 'the' as a harmless article. This simple compositional pattern is cross-linguistically common and would be immediately understandable to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.
Etymology
The phrase the least bit comes from the idea of a very small piece: least means the smallest and bit means a tiny piece or amount. So when you say you are not the least bit worried, you mean you do not have even a tiny amount of worry — 'not at all'.