at best

alternative at the best

1. In the most favorable of conditions, especially in a situation that is otherwise negative.

   The power of federal officials to issue a national vaccine mandate is questionable at best.

   2021 August 6, “Get Vaccinated. Get Masked. It’s the Only Way Out of This.”, in The New York Times, →ISSN

   3 more examples

   The signalman, as such, was unknown at first. At junctions, or for shunting, the pointsman was responsible both for setting the points and working the appropriate signals, the two being independent. As a result, accidents were comparatively frequent, and the pointsman's job was, at best, a hazardous one.

   1955 April, R. H. Warring, “Some Early Railway Signals”, in Railway Magazine, page 231

   Steve Bruce's side have swung from highs to lows in what has been at best a wildly inconsistent start to the season. They experienced a microcosm of this within the opening 45 minutes at the Stadium of Light.

   2011 October 1, Phil Dawkes, “Sunderland 2 - 2 West Brom”, in BBC Sport

   It recalls the business case for Scotland's reopening of the Borders Railway to Tweedbank, that British Rail closed in 1969. The review says the business case for this was at best borderline, but goes on to say that the case greatly underestimated passenger demand and that the railway Scotland built has capped its capacity.

   2023 September 6, Philip Haigh, “£30 billion plan to transform the rail network in Ireland”, in RAIL, number 991, page 25

   Antonyms: at worst