all-purpose

[awl-pur-puhs]

adjective

1. for every purpose.

   an all-purpose detergent.

all-purpose

adjective

1. useful for many things

Word History and Origins

Origin of all-purpose¹

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

All of which would eventually be subsumed in the all-purpose label “woke” — well, except for “cultural Marxism,” which basically just means Jewish.

From Salon

The all-purpose adage offering optimism — and sometimes pessimism — to those confronting a crisis head-on is: “This too shall pass.”

From Los Angeles Times

The streusel — made from a flour mixture of oats, all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and sea salt — is sprinkled on top before baking.

From Salon

Instead, the term “efficiency” is an all-purpose explanation for eliminating any program with no direct value to an imposed ideological agenda.

From Salon

Morgan was impatient with acquaintances who wished to compress all these considerations into a single all-purpose maxim.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• advantageous 
• appropriate 
• convenient 
• effective 
• favorable 
• fruitful 
• good 
• handy 
• helpful 
• practical 
• pragmatic 
• profitable 
• proper 
• suitable