all for the best

Idioms

Also, for the best. Best in the long run, despite appearances to the contrary. It is often a response to an unhappy outcome, as in They had to sell their business, but since they weren't making money it's probably for the best, or The dress had been sold when she went back, but since it was a little too tight it's all for the best. [Late 1300s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

This is all for the best, but I am nonetheless grateful for having been exposed to Gilman’s unadulterated critical sensibility.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 14, 2023

While it was all for the best, we couldn't help but feel down about it.

From Salon • Jul. 10, 2021

“This is all for the best of two friendly countries,” he said.

From Slate • Aug. 28, 2018

It was the summer after my parents’ divorce, which my mother kept assuring me was all for the best.

From New York Times • Jul. 3, 2014

The transformation of the Khumbu culture is certainly not all for the best, but I didn’t hear many Sherpas bemoaning the changes.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023