As good as it gets

Latest answer — March 08, 2026

91 Down

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NYT Crossword

This clue's Sunday, March 08, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Clip on, say
  2. 7Facing the pitcher
  3. 12Some budget-friendly grocery stores
  4. 17It's on a roll!
  5. 18Sculpted
  6. 20Minimalist swimwear
  7. 21Mineral found in seaweed
  8. 22Certain supervisor on a film set
  9. 24Cozy garment
  10. 25Giveaway
  11. 27Setting for "Gorillas in the Mist"
  12. 28Spot for a grill
  13. 29Starters
  14. 32"Rumor has it ..."
  15. 34Most slipshod
  16. 36On the ___
  17. 37Etta James record in the Grammy Hall of Fame
  18. 39Fungal structure
  19. 40Californie, par exemple
  20. 41"Big Blue"
  21. 42So-called "rooster sauce"
  22. 44Fails ignominiously, in slang
  23. 46Drag show accessories
  24. 48"___ Song" (Taylor Swift hit)
  25. 4930 minutes to 3, in British English
  26. 51Beethoven's ___ (the "Fate" Symphony)
  27. 55Caitlin Clark's alma mater
  28. 56Gritty genre
  29. 58___ tai (cocktail)
  30. 59What makes a dresser dressier?
  31. 61"Je vous en ___" (French words of politeness)
  32. 62Fuss
  33. 64Eager
  34. 66Relay race segment
  35. 68"Vous êtes ___" (notation on a French map)
  36. 70Not Dem. or Rep.
  37. 71March 8 observance connecting billions of people around the world ... including the 22 people whose names cross this answer
  38. 77Member of the fam
  39. 78Feel bad
  40. 79Like some humor
  41. 80Style for Detroit's Fisher Building
  42. 81Kind of moment
  43. 82Make out, in Manchester
  44. 84Backwoods refusal
  45. 86Soft shoe, informally
  46. 88Ephron who wrote "When Harry Met Sally ..."
  47. 90Similar
  48. 93Sch. in College Station, Tex.
  49. 95It's dangerous to ride a bicycle with this
  50. 98Reactor safety agcy.
  51. 99Get one's feet wet?
  52. 100Become rich and successful, so to speak
  53. 102Like raw footage vis-à-vis enhanced footage
  54. 105Pronoun for most of the people in this puzzle
  55. 106Ancient Greek instrument
  56. 107Muppet who was once a regular guest on "The Rosie O'Donnell Show"
  57. 109Lustrous
  58. 110Loo
  59. 111Formal notes
  60. 113"City of a Thousand Minarets"
  61. 114French school
  62. 116Storage unit
  63. 117Settle in, say
  64. 119Used-up crayons
  65. 121"Nearly done!"
  66. 122Big name in sparkling water
  67. 124Kathmandu resident
  68. 128Some paintings of water lilies at 116-Down
  69. 129Role for Geena Davis in "A League of Their Own"
  70. 130Casino worker
  71. 131"Therefore ..."
  72. 132Verbally notify
  73. 133Highly embellished

Down

  1. 1Poke fish, often
  2. 2As well
  3. 3Touch
  4. 4Feeling of distress
  5. 5Movie palaces
  6. 6Cry from a dog walker
  7. 7Inquire
  8. 8___ May, former British P.M.
  9. 9Drama series co-starring Pamela Anderson
  10. 10___ score (neonatal measure)
  11. 11Seabird
  12. 12Predinner beverage
  13. 13Show gratitude for service
  14. 14Loathe
  15. 15Part of PIN: Abbr.
  16. 16Photocopier function
  17. 19Simple rebuttal
  18. 20Makes a choice on Tinder, e.g.
  19. 23Structure in a shipping container
  20. 24Sucker
  21. 26First (and last) queen of Hawaii
  22. 29Good thing for a suspect to have
  23. 30Verboten
  24. 31Actress who portrayed Hermione Granger
  25. 33Tubman of the Underground Railroad
  26. 35Indigenous people of the Great Lakes
  27. 38Sci-fi franchise that takes place in "the Grid"
  28. 392014 Peace Prize laureate Yousafzai
  29. 43Green eggs' partner
  30. 45Author who won a Pulitzer for "Beloved"
  31. 47One-named singer of "Smooth Operator"
  32. 50Sally with two Oscars
  33. 52Mexican painter known for her self-portraits
  34. 53Turner who was twice inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
  35. 54Inventor and actress Lamarr
  36. 57Tara of "Sharknado"
  37. 60___ Spice, Grammy-nominated rapper
  38. 63"R.I.P." singer Rita ___
  39. 65Silent film star Talmadge
  40. 67___ Stefani, lead vocalist for No Doubt
  41. 69Celebrity chef Garten
  42. 71Rae who co-created "Insecure"
  43. 72Singer and civil rights activist Simone
  44. 73Memoirist Anaïs who wrote "Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage"
  45. 74Oscar winner Lupita
  46. 75Groundbreaking Supreme Court justice appointed in 1981
  47. 76Anna Howard ___, leader in the suffrage movement
  48. 83Aussie greeting
  49. 85Like some textiles
  50. 87Burnable storage unit, in brief
  51. 89They can't be returned
  52. 91As good as it gets
  53. 92Skydiving requirement
  54. 94Styx song that starts "Domo arigato"
  55. 96Delayed
  56. 97Wisdom
  57. 101Equips again, as a ship
  58. 103"Not bad!"
  59. 104Roggenbock, e.g.
  60. 106Babe the Blue Ox, e.g.
  61. 108Like zebras, but not tigers
  62. 111Baseball announcer's update
  63. 112From ___ Z
  64. 113Spanish letter
  65. 115Floor show?
  66. 116See 128-Across
  67. 118Experts
  68. 120Ctrl-Z action
  69. 123___ Speedwagon
  70. 125In the manner of
  71. 126Tennis call
  72. 127Fuming feeling

The answer to “As good as it gets” in the New York Times crossword is IDEAL — a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on March 8, 2026, a Sunday puzzle, at 91-Down. Other answers we've seen for this clue include OPTIMAL. Below you'll find why that fill fits, every other answer we've recorded for this clue, and links into the puzzle it came from.

“As good as it gets” answer

IDEAL (5 letters) — most recent; also seen as OPTIMAL

Reveal the solution one letter at a time with the tiles above if you'd rather nudge yourself toward it than see the whole word at once. Just want it outright? The answer is IDEAL.

Why the answer is IDEAL

IDEAL is the 5-letter solution that fits "As good as it gets" in the NYT Crossword crossword on March 8, 2026 (91-Down). Use the letter tiles above if you'd rather reveal it one letter at a time.

What does IDEAL mean?

Reading the plain dictionary sense of IDEAL is often the fastest way to see why it answers this clue.

(adjective)

  • satisfying one's conception of what is perfect; most suitable
  • existing only in the imagination; desirable or perfect but not likely to become a reality

Other answers for “As good as it gets”

New York Times has used this clue with more than one solution. Besides IDEAL, it has also been OPTIMAL. Every appearance we've indexed is listed below with the date it ran.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “As good as it gets”?

The answer is IDEAL, a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on March 8, 2026. Other answers for this clue include OPTIMAL.

How many letters is the answer to “As good as it gets”?

5 letters: IDEAL. Earlier fills for this clue have also been OPTIMAL (7).

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on March 8, 2026 (a Sunday puzzle), at 91-Down. Earlier appearances: February 7, 2026 → OPTIMAL.

Can “As good as it gets” have a different answer?

Yes. Besides IDEAL, New York Times has also used OPTIMAL for this clue. Every date and answer is listed above.

Where can I find the rest of this day's NYT Crossword answers?

The full grid for March 8, 2026 is on the NYT Crossword answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.

New York Times Crossword is published by The New York Times; WordHint is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.

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