uber alles

American  

[oo-ber ahl-uhs, y-buh ahl-is] / ˈu bər ˈɑl əs, ˈü bə ˈɑl ɪs /

Or über alles

idiom

1. over everything else.

   The mindset of “party uber alles” may make politicians lose sight of their constituents' needs.

   They place profit über alles without considering the ethics of their developments.

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Etymology

Origin of uber alles

First recorded in 1915–20; from German; über “above” + alles “all, everything”

Example Sentences

Stanford’s commitment to “disruptive” logic — efficiency uber alles — lives on as Palo Alto’s guiding principle, the aforementioned “Palo Alto System.”

From Washington Post • Feb. 9, 2023

This is what I worry about, this need for narrative uber alles.

From Slate • Jun. 3, 2019

I think the economists, from Milton Friedman and before, were progenitors of this national cultural ethos, homo economicus uber alles — to mix languages and metaphors.

From Salon • May 27, 2019

Janelle is right up there with Lady Gaga: image uber alles, average to good musically, not particularly original or innovative.

From New York Times • Apr. 19, 2018

It was explained to me that "Deutschland uber alles" does not mean "Germany over everybody else," but "Germany first of all!" as one says "My country, right or wrong."

From Europe—Whither Bound? Being Letters of Travel from the Capitals of Europe in the Year 1921 by Graham, Stephen