all-or-nothing

American  

[awl-er-nuhth-ing] / ˈɔl ərˈnʌθ ɪŋ /

adjective

1. not allowing for qualification or compromise; either fully or not at all operative.

   an all-or-nothing approach.

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Etymology

Origin of all-or-nothing

First recorded in 1755–65

Example Sentences

It creates an all-or-nothing approach that is extremely hard to stick to.

From BBC

Plaintiffs and defendants alike overwhelmingly prefer to eliminate the risk of an all-or-nothing jury verdict by agreeing on a compromise dollar figure.

From Los Angeles Times

“Get used to, on some of these hard days, selling out a little bit of your positions. I think people look at it like it’s an all-or-nothing proposition,” Kailas said.

From MarketWatch

“That’s a tough situation for him to come in, especially someone like him, right? It’s really like an all-or-nothing thing, so to see him get out of that inning, it was just super cool.”

From Los Angeles Times

It’s an all-or-nothing bet on a trillion-dollar scale, and investors are all in.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• hard-line
• inflexible
• uncompromising
• unyielding