overarching

[oh-ver-ahr-ching]

adjective

1. forming an arch above.

   great trees with overarching branches.

2. encompassing or overshadowing everything.

   The community's overarching needs are more jobs and better housing.

overarching

/ ˌəʊvərˈɑːtʃɪŋ /

adjective

1. overall; all-encompassing

   an overarching concept

Word History and Origins

Origin of overarching¹

First recorded in 1710–20; overarch + -ing ²

Example Sentences

Borrowing a page from London's playbook, authorities have also decided to split the municipal corporation into five smaller bodies and set up an overarching Greater Bengaluru Authority.

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Nonetheless, the “overarching theme” for the industry is that there is a scarcity of compute power.

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“While we support the overarching goals of the rule, we remain deeply concerned about specific measures including in the regulation.”

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“The Killing Age” undertakes to pull this historical picture together into a single overarching vision.

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But while the overarching goal of the brain is peace and predictability, the neurotransmitter dopamine drives us to seek out and solve new problems.

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Related Words

• overall 
• throughout 
• underlying