allenfalls
Translation
at most, at best, possibly, if need be
Examples
Das dauert allenfalls zehn Minuten.
That will take ten minutes at most.
Allenfalls könnte er morgen anrufen.
He might possibly call tomorrow.
Grammar Patterns
as a modal adverb (meaning 'at most') The conference will last an hour at most. (Die Konferenz dauert allenfalls eine Stunde.)
as a sentence adverb (meaning 'possibly') Possibly, I will come later. (Allenfalls komme ich später.)
Similar Words
höchstens (at most), bestenfalls (at best), vielleicht (perhaps); Antonyms: mindestens (at least), auf jeden Fall (in any case)
Etymology
From 'allen' (dative plural of 'all') and 'Falls' (genitive of 'Fall', case). Originally 'in all cases', it shifted to mean 'in the best case' or 'at most'.
Memory Tips
Think of considering 'allen Fällen' (all cases) and concluding that this is the absolute maximum or best possible outcome.