TAKOBOTO

my utmost, at most
try my utmost
できるだけ。精一杯。最大限。

Add formation 

このしごとだったらせいぜいさんにちもあればできる。

If it's this type of work, it can be done in about three days at the outside.

このしごとのかんせいにせいぜいどりょくします。

I will exert my best in finishing this work.

あのふじんはせいぜいさいだ。

The lady is forty years old at most.

ここからあるいてせいぜいふんのところです。

It is no more than ten minutes' walk from here.

このとけいはせいぜいドルだ。

This watch costs ten dollar at most.

このじしょはせいぜい２まんごくらいしかのっていない。

This dictionary contains not more than 20,000 words.

せいぜいにんしかそのパーティーにはこないだろう。

Only twenty people will come to the party at best.

せいぜいのこうこうせいしかだいがくにしんがくしない。

Not more than 40 percent of students go on to university.

せいぜいじぶんののうりょくをかつようしなさい。

You should make the most of your ability.

それはせいぜいにりゅうのホテルだ。

It is at best a second-rate hotel.

かれはせいぜいにりゅうのがくしゃだ。

He is at best a second-rate scholar.

こんどはてつやになりそうだ。いまのうちにせいぜいやすんでおこう。

It looks like overtime work ahead. For now I will do my utmost to relax.

Does anybody know where a good list of spoken versus writing style words (as the case seems to be here, with takadaka and seizei) can be found?

nks

hmm it would be 最長（さいちょう）instead of 最低（さいてい）. 最長⇔最短（さいたん）、最高（さいこう）⇔最低

Miki

You guys must mean 最悪の場合. You would not say さいていの場合、三日掛かる but could say さいてい三日掛かる, which would mean "takes the minimum of three days."The former says that it could be done in less than three days, but the latter would say it takes three days or more.

bamboo4

Note that せいぜい also has the meaning of "at th emost." For example, せいぜい３日もあればできる would mean "It can be done in about three days at the very outside," In this sense it has the meaning similar to たかだか.

bamboo4

'At the very outside'? I don't understand this translation.

lupan

'At the very outside' means "at the worst". maybe literally, "on the border of what might and might not happen"
-> さいていの場合、三日掛かる。

dc

I thought "最低" also means "the worst". We would use it like "in the worst case, we will miss the deadline by one day". ie: you dont expect to, but...

dc

最低 can be "the worst" but it also could mean "minimum of"

bamboo4

I don't think "at the very outside" is correct English. I guess you mean "at most".

Gaijin demonai

I guess "at the very outside" is awkward, but I think "at the outside" should be acceptable.

bamboo4

While I can't comment on any of the Japanese - "at the outside" is very informal in English. It refers to the expression "an outside chance" (a term from horseracing). So the first example would be better written: "If it's this type of work, there is an outside chance that it can be done in about three days."

andyclap

I have been told by a native speaker that "せいぜい" has a certain ironic or sarcastic tinge to it. It is used in the context of saying that someone "did their best", etc. in an ironic way, meaning it could have been done a bit better.

somakevin

せいぜい三日もあれば出来る。−I can do it in atmost three days....... Correct me if I am wrong. Thanks

ashishjoshi