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

See Examples For:

all-or-nothing

Rather than treating this as a black-and-white or all-or-nothing scenario, why not dip into your taxable brokerage account, take out a mortgage, and time your IRA withdrawals or Roth conversions.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026

An all-or-nothing defence, its opponents said, made Associated Newspapers vulnerable to the discovery of even the smallest amount of evidence of unlawful activities.

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026

But the United States is deploying a blunt, all-or-nothing approach.

From Slate ● Feb. 13, 2026

In time, the exchange hopes, investors in its all-or-nothing options will graduate to trades involving more sophisticated contracts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 2, 2026

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

Related Words

• hard-line
• inflexible
• uncompromising
• unyielding