at the very most
Upper bound, period
At the very most sets an absolute upper limit—a ceiling that won't be exceeded: The repairs will cost five hundred dollars at the very most.
It's an emphatic version of "at most," used when the speaker wants to stress that an estimate or quantity cannot reasonably go higher: She's twenty-five at the very most.
- apogeeHighest orbital point
- maximumGreatest permitted quantity
- at bestUnder optimal circumstances
- ceilingRoom's upper surface
- zenithPoint straight overhead
limit · upper bound · estimate · rough estimate · tops · peak · approximate · cap · threshold · outside · culmination · fewer · acme · pinnacle · vertex · extreme · ultimate · guess
quantitative bound direction
at the very mostat the very least
The absolute minimum
no less than · at least · minimally · if nothing else · bottom line
very, most, verily, verify, verity, veritable, utmost, mostly, uppermost