AT THE WORST

{adv. phr.} 1. Under the worst conditions; as the worst possibility. * /When Don was caught cheating in the examination he thought that at worst he would get a scolding./ Compare: AT MOST. Contrast AT BEST. 2. In the least favorable view, to say the worst about a thing. * /The treasurer had certainly not stolen any of the club's money; at worst, he had forgotten to write down some of the things he had spent money for./