all-around
Americanadjective
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able to do many things; versatile.
an all-around player.
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broadly applicable; not specialized.
an all-around education.
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inclusive; comprehensive; complete.
an all-around failure.
adjective
Etymology
Origin of all-around
First recorded in 1720–30
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.
Everyone indulged in prodigious scenery-chewing, eschewing any subtlety that Puccini built into this tear-jerking piece in favor of all-around bludgeoning.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
As a senior, he wants to take his skills to another level, using his size and improved speed to become an all-around back, whether running, blocking or catching passes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Then Evans, alongside Emily Roper, went for individual all-around glory.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
But the uninspired all-around performance sealed a series loss on the final weekend of the season’s first half.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026
Billy Ray’s childhood, then, consisted of sorrowful years in tarpaper shacks, much ill health, and general all-around human disaster.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
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.
