One of the best vs. One of the only

One of the best

/wʌn ʌv ðə bɛst/

Refers to someone or something that is among the top in quality or performance

Examples:

Her apple pie is one of the best in the county.This film stands as one of the best of its decade.That summer vacation was one of the best we ever took.

Synonyms:

top-notchexcellentsuperioroutstandingprime

Antonyms:

mediocreaverage

One of the only

/ˈwʌn əv ði ˈoʊnli/

Used to emphasize that there are very few of something

Examples:

He is one of the only teachers who stayed late.This is one of the only trees that survived the storm.She's one of the only people I can truly trust.

Synonyms:

This word has no synonyms

Antonyms:

This word has no antonyms

Ways to tell them apart:

• One of the best implies that there are several best and this is one of them, suggesting being part of an elite group.
• One of the only implies scarcity and suggests that something is among the limited amount or few instances available.
• Remember that best indicates superlative quality while only indicates limited availability.
• Use one of the best when you want to convey exceptional quality or ranking among the top.
• Use one of the only when emphasizing the rarity or scarcity of something.