to say the least in English

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{
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "to say the least (not comparable)",
      "name": "en-adv"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adv",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "The 9/11 attacks weren't very good for America. / To say the least!",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "His performance, to say the least, didn't impress me.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2024 March 6, Paul Clifton, “Network News: NR launches Reading-Paddington recovery operation”, in RAIL, number 1004, page 7",
          "text": "\"We are very proud of the successful launch of the Elizabeth line. It was very reliable at the start, but the last six months have been challenging, to say the least.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Used to suggest an understatement."
      ],
      "id": "en-to_say_the_least-en-adv-wc7CG88p",
      "links": [
        [
          "understatement",
          "understatement#English"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) Used to suggest an understatement."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "and then some"
        },
        {
          "word": "and how"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "not-comparable"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "suggesting understatement",
          "word": "op zijn minst gezegd"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "suggesting understatement",
          "word": "lievästi sanottuna"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "suggesting understatement",
          "word": "c’est le moins qu’on puisse dire"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "suggesting understatement",
          "word": "c’est le moins que l’on puisse dire"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "suggesting understatement",
          "word": "pour le moins"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "suggesting understatement",
          "word": "gelinde gesagt"
        },
        {
          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "roman": "kai líga les",
          "sense": "suggesting understatement",
          "word": "και λίγα λες"
        },
        {
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "suggesting understatement",
          "word": "finoman szólva"
        },
        {
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "suggesting understatement",
          "word": "enyhén szólva"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "suggesting understatement",
          "word": "a dir poco"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "suggesting understatement",
          "word": "co najmniej"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "mjáxko govorjá",
          "sense": "suggesting understatement",
          "word": "мя́гко говоря́"
        },
        {
          "alt": "благо речено",
          "code": "sh",
          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "sense": "suggesting understatement",
          "word": "blago rečeno"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "suggesting understatement",
          "word": "cuando menos"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "suggesting understatement",
          "word": "milt sagt"
        },
        {
          "code": "uk",
          "lang": "Ukrainian",
          "roman": "mʺjáko kážučy",
          "sense": "suggesting understatement",
          "word": "м'я́ко ка́жучи"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-to say the least.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/b/bd/En-au-to_say_the_least.ogg/En-au-to_say_the_least.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/En-au-to_say_the_least.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "to say the least"
}

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{
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "to say the least (not comparable)",
      "name": "en-adv"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adv",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English adverbs",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English idioms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English terms with audio links",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples",
        "English uncomparable adverbs"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "The 9/11 attacks weren't very good for America. / To say the least!",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "His performance, to say the least, didn't impress me.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2024 March 6, Paul Clifton, “Network News: NR launches Reading-Paddington recovery operation”, in RAIL, number 1004, page 7",
          "text": "\"We are very proud of the successful launch of the Elizabeth line. It was very reliable at the start, but the last six months have been challenging, to say the least.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Used to suggest an understatement."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "understatement",
          "understatement#English"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) Used to suggest an understatement."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "and then some"
        },
        {
          "word": "and how"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "not-comparable"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-to say the least.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/b/bd/En-au-to_say_the_least.ogg/En-au-to_say_the_least.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/En-au-to_say_the_least.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "suggesting understatement",
      "word": "op zijn minst gezegd"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "suggesting understatement",
      "word": "lievästi sanottuna"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "suggesting understatement",
      "word": "c’est le moins qu’on puisse dire"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "suggesting understatement",
      "word": "c’est le moins que l’on puisse dire"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "suggesting understatement",
      "word": "pour le moins"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "suggesting understatement",
      "word": "gelinde gesagt"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "kai líga les",
      "sense": "suggesting understatement",
      "word": "και λίγα λες"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "suggesting understatement",
      "word": "finoman szólva"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "suggesting understatement",
      "word": "enyhén szólva"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "suggesting understatement",
      "word": "a dir poco"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "suggesting understatement",
      "word": "co najmniej"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "mjáxko govorjá",
      "sense": "suggesting understatement",
      "word": "мя́гко говоря́"
    },
    {
      "alt": "благо речено",
      "code": "sh",
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "sense": "suggesting understatement",
      "word": "blago rečeno"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "suggesting understatement",
      "word": "cuando menos"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "suggesting understatement",
      "word": "milt sagt"
    },
    {
      "code": "uk",
      "lang": "Ukrainian",
      "roman": "mʺjáko kážučy",
      "sense": "suggesting understatement",
      "word": "м'я́ко ка́жучи"
    }
  ],
  "word": "to say the least"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-01 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (f4fd8c9 and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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"to say the least" meaning in English

Adverb