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 is used to highlight something among the top, while one of the only signifies rarity or uniqueness among a small group.
• Both phrases consist of several words, not just the primary ones, so the context is important to discern their specific intent.
• Best suggests comparison with a larger set for quality, whereas only implies a limited set with emphasis on scarcity.
• The phrase one of the best is often positive and superlative, while one of the only might not have a positive or negative connotation but stresses exclusivity.
• Recognize the different implications: best implies superiority among peers; only implies scarcity within a category.