adverb

all in all

awl in AWL

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All in all (adverb) means taking everything into account; considering the whole situation. Example: “All in all, it was a good year for the club.”

adverb

Taking everything into account; considering the whole situation.

"All in all, it was a good year for the club."

"There were a few hiccups, but all in all the launch went well."

noun

literary The single most important thing to someone, treated as the whole of what matters.

"Her grandchildren were her all in all."

How to use all in all

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishLooking at everything together.

When to use it

Neutral, slightly informal. Very common at the end of reviews and summaries.

Memory tip

Use it once per piece of writing — repeating a summing-up phrase weakens it.

Easily confused with

all in all / after all all in all / above all

Common pairings

all in all, a good day all in all it was worth it

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C2 · Advanced serendipity Fortunate discoveries made entirely by accident.

Gen Z slang rizz Charm — the ability to attract a romantic interest.

B2 · Intermediate empathy The capacity to share another person’s feelings.

C1 · Advanced nonchalant Casually calm and relaxed; unconcerned.

Internet slang delulu Delusional — believing something against the odds.

Etymology nostalgia Greek nostos “return home” + algos “pain”.

C2 · Advanced serendipity Fortunate discoveries made entirely by accident.

Gen Z slang rizz Charm — the ability to attract a romantic interest.

B2 · Intermediate empathy The capacity to share another person’s feelings.

C1 · Advanced nonchalant Casually calm and relaxed; unconcerned.

Internet slang delulu Delusional — believing something against the odds.

Etymology nostalgia Greek nostos “return home” + algos “pain”.

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Fill the gap

Can you complete this real example?

_____, it was a good year for the club.

Synonyms

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on the whole overall altogether by and large all things considered

Related words

all right general actually quite usually entire specific

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between all in all and after all?

All in all introduces a summing-up: weighing everything, here is the verdict. After all signals that something happened contrary to expectation, or offers a reason the listener already knows. They are not interchangeable.

Is all in all hyphenated?

No. As an adverbial phrase it is written as three separate words. You may see the hyphenated all-in-all in older or literary text for the noun sense, but the plain form is standard today.

Can I start a sentence with all in all?

Yes, and that is its most common position, followed by a comma. It works well as an opener for a concluding sentence or paragraph.

What is the meaning of all in all?

"all in all" (adverb) means taking everything into account; considering the whole situation.

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all right general actually quite usually entire specific