Least crossword clue

The most likely answers for the crossword clue “Least” are WORST, with 5 letters. Below are 6 answers from 5 to 11 letters, best match first in each length, then what each top answer means and how to tell them apart.

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The best answers, explained

WORST 5 letters · noun

the least favorable outcome “the worst that could happen”

MINIMUM 7 letters · adjective

the least possible “minimum wage”

EARLIEST 8 letters · adverb

with the least delay

CENTENARIAN 11 letters · adjective

being at least 100 years old

Telling them apart

With 7 squares, MINIMUM, MINIMAL and SOONEST all fit. The sixth letter tells them all apart: U → MINIMUM · A → MINIMAL · S → SOONEST. Fill in that crossing answer first.

Other forms of this clue

Clues often use another form of the word, and the answer then takes the same form: “leasts” wants an answer that ends the same way.

What “least” means

• adjective: the superlative of ‘little’ that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by ‘the’; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree (“didn't care the least bit”)
• noun: something that is of no importance (“it is the least I can do”)
• adverb: used to form the superlative, smallest in size or degree (“The garter snake is the least dangerous snake”)

A clue usually points at one of these senses, so the right answer is the one that matches the sense the puzzle means: check it against the crossing words.

About these answers

We match the clue against our own thesaurus and dictionary (Open English WordNet): words that mean the same as LEAST, and words whose definition is LEAST. We don't copy answers from newspaper puzzles, so a clue that leans on trivia or wordplay may need the crossing letters instead.