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Seagull Posted 11 years ago
Grammar

"at the least" or "at the latest"

Regarding the sentence below:

I must be back by 10:30 at the least.

I found this sentence in a study guide. I think that it should have been written as "I must be back by 10:30 at the latest." Am I correct? Or is it fine as it is?
  

Top answer

You're right. Your version is the natural one.

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  • Your version is the natural one.
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6 Answers
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You're right. Your version is the natural one.
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Thank you so much, Teechr.
I did some Google search and found out that apparently, some people use "at the least" instead of "at the latest." What is your take on it?
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seagullI must be back by 10:30 at the least.
Not only is this unnatural, it is also ambiguous and potentially illogical.

To me, "at the least" is equivalent to "at the earliest."
"By 10:30" means at or before 10:30.

So the sentence becomes:
I must be back at or before 10:30 at the earliest.
Is that logical?
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seagullsome people use "at the least" instead of "at the latest."
That's not a good idea. No.
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Thank you very much, Teechr, for your clear explanation.
I've learned a lot.
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Understood.
Many thanks, CalifJim.
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