all-or-nothing
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of all-or-nothing
First recorded in 1755–65
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.
Rather than having an all-or-nothing change in beneficiaries, it’s wiser to have a more balanced approach, one that you and your husband can review every year, or so.
From MarketWatch • May 5, 2026
As secretary of state, Dulles kept the U.S. out of major wars and came to recognize the danger of an all-or-nothing approach to nuclear weapons.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026
But the United States is deploying a blunt, all-or-nothing approach.
From Slate • Feb. 13, 2026
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 • Dec. 19, 2025
And the process was an all-or-nothing one; either you failed to modify at all, or else you modified the whole way.
From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
