above all

[uh-buhv awl]

idiom

1. most important of all; before everything else; chiefly.

   Above all, the little girl wanted a piano.

   He said that, above all else, he was a dad of two young children.

Word History and Origins

Origin of above all¹

First recorded in 1350–1400

Idioms and Phrases

More than anything else, as in A winter hike calls for good equipment, but above all it requires careful planning. This phrase first appears in William Langland's Piers Ploughman (1377), in which the narrator exhorts readers to love the Lord God above all. Also see first and last.

Example Sentences

Playing for time will make them more of a problem—for him, his party and, above all, the American people.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Now in college and planning to major in environmental studies, she said the climate crisis "depresses me, it makes me really anxious, and above all, it makes me incredibly uncertain".

Read more on Barron's

For investors, the moves suggest big insurers are prioritizing stability by focusing on margin above all else—reducing much of the earnings risk that has dogged the sector in recent years.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

He discovered that, in fact, the biggest drain on the time of care home staff was cleaning and recharging the robots - and above all troubleshooting when they went wrong.

Read more on BBC

And, perhaps above all, the desire to get things done.

Read more on Los Angeles Times