all in all

all in all — idiom

1. used to give a final judgment about a situation after thinking about all the fac

1.idiomB2
Definition

used to give a final judgment about a situation after thinking about all the facts or experiences involved; meaning 'considering everything' or 'on the whole'

Example

The flight was delayed and our bags were lost, but all in all the trip was a wonderful experience.

contrast pattern: [problems], but all in all [positive conclusion]

The apartment is small and has no balcony, but all in all it is a fine place to live.

Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

All in all, [clause]

[clause], but all in all [clause]

Usage Note

Commonly used at the start of a sentence or after a clause introduced by 'but'. The phrase summarises both positive and negative points with an overall conclusion.

Common Mistakes

All in all, I like the food and service of this restaurant.
The food was good and the service was friendly
all in all, it was a wonderful evening.' — 'All in all' needs contrasting details before the final judgment, not as the first statement.

Synonym discussion

Sense: idiom/1

'All in all', 'on the whole', 'overall', 'by and large', and 'considering everything' all introduce a conclusion after weighing different factors. 'On the whole' is the closest synonym and the most interchangeable. 'Overall' can also be an adjective ('the overall cost'), while the others are only adverbs. 'By and large' has a slightly more formal, written feel and is less common in everyday speech. 'Considering everything' is the most informal and usually appears in conversation ('Considering everything, I think we did OK'). 'All in all' sits in the middle — natural in both writing and speech. For example: 'The hotel was noisy and the food was cold, but all in all we had fun' sounds natural on the page or in conversation.

all in all ↗on the wholeoverall ↗by and large ↗considering everything

Etymology

Biblical HebrewKoine GreekLatin (Vulgate)English

The phrase 'all in all' comes from the Bible (1 Corinthians 15:28 in the King James translation: 'that God may be all in all' — meaning God is everything, everywhere). Over time, the phrase shifted from a religious meaning to a general expression used to sum up a situation, first recorded in everyday English use around the 1700s.

First known use

1826

1826, in the meaning defined above