all

all

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Pronunciation

The word "all" is a single-syllable word.

• /ɔːl/

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Word Form Variations

The word "all" does not have typical singular, plural, or other inflectional variations in the way that nouns or verbs do. It primarily functions as a determiner, pronoun, or adverb, and its form remains consistent.

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Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms

Determiner

• Definition 1: Referring to the entire quantity or extent of a particular group or thing, without exception.

• Synonyms: every, each, complete, total

• Antonyms: none, some, part

• Definition 2: Indicating the maximum possible degree or extent of a quality.

• Synonyms: utmost, full, utmost, greatest

• Antonyms: partial, limited

Pronoun

• Definition 1: The entire group or quantity of people or things previously mentioned or understood.

• Synonyms: everything, everyone, everybody, total

• Antonyms: none, nothing, nobody

Adverb

• Definition 1: Completely; entirely; solely.

• Synonyms: completely, entirely, wholly, exclusively

• Antonyms: partially, somewhat, incompletely

• Definition 2: Emphasizing the extent or degree of something, often used in phrases like "all the more."

• Synonyms: even, still, much

• Antonyms: (Context-dependent, often no direct antonym)

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Examples of Use

• Books:

• "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had all before us, nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only." (Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities, 1859)

• "Harry took a deep breath. 'It's all true,' he said. 'The Invisibility Cloak, the Mirror of Erised, Nicolas Flamel – they all happened. Everything I told you at the start of the year...'" (J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, 1997)

• Newspapers:

• "Housing starts unexpectedly jump as supply constraints ease all across the country." (The Wall Street Journal)

• "Local schools are urging all parents to attend the upcoming budget meeting." (The New York Times)

• Online Publications:

• "The new software update promises to fix all known bugs and improve user experience." (TechCrunch)

• "Five simple exercises you can do to strengthen all your core muscles." (Mayo Clinic)

• Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:

• "And I will allways love you." (Whitney Houston, "I Will Always Love You," 1992)

• "All good things come to an end." (Common idiom, frequently heard in films and television shows)

• "All Star" (Song by Smash Mouth, 1999)

• "I’ve got it all figured out." (Line from a character in a TV series like The Office, 2005-2013)

• General Public Discourse:

• "We need to work together to solve this problem for all of us."

• "That's all for today, folks!" (Common closing remark for presentations or broadcasts)

• "Is that all you need?"

• "He gave it his all."

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10 Quotes Using All

1. "It takes all sorts to make a world." (English Proverb)

2. "Not all those who wander are lost." (J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring, 1954)

3. "After all, tomorrow is another day!" (Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind, 1936)

4. "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." (Oscar Wilde, Lady Windermere's Fan, 1892)

5. "First of all, let's get rid of all the lawyers." (William Shakespeare, Henry VI, Part 2, c. 1591)

6. "You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time." (Abraham Lincoln)

7. "All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." (Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina, 1878)

8. "All for one and one for all." (Alexandre Dumas, The Three Musketeers, 1844)

9. "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us." (J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring, 1954)

10. "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players." (William Shakespeare, As You Like It, c. 1599)

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Etymology

The word "all" has a long history, going back to the very earliest stages of the English language.

Its roots are in Old English, where it appeared as eall (in West Saxon dialect) or all (in Anglian dialect). At this time, it already had similar meanings to what it does today: "every," "entire," "the whole quantity of" when used as an adjective, and "fully," "wholly," "entirely" when used as an adverb.

This Old English word eall came from an even older language called Proto-Germanic, which is the ancestor of many modern Germanic languages like German, Dutch, and the Scandinavian languages. In Proto-Germanic, the word was something like *alnaz.

So, basically, "all" has been around for a very, very long time, consistently meaning something like "the whole" or "everything," and it shares its ancient family tree with similar words in other Germanic languages. Its first known uses in English are from the Old English period (before 1150 AD), carrying these core meanings.

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Phrases + Idioms Containing All

• All in all: Considering everything; on the whole.

• All over the map: Disorganized or inconsistent.

• All thumbs: Clumsy.

• All ears: Eager to listen.

• All out: With maximum effort.

• All told: Counting everyone or everything.

• All for one and one for all: United in supporting each other.

• All systems go: Everything is ready.

• All in a day's work: Something difficult but routine.

• All in good time: Eventually, at the appropriate moment.

• All the same: Nevertheless; despite what has been said.

• All a-flutter: Agitated or excited.

• All that glitters is not gold: Appearances can be deceiving.

• All roads lead to Rome: Different paths can lead to the same outcome.

• All bets are off: A situation where previous certainties no longer apply.

• All in the family: Relating to a private or internal matter.

• All by myself: Alone.

• All square: Evenly matched; with no outstanding debts.

• All or nothing: A situation where everything is risked for one outcome.

• All clear: A signal that danger has passed.

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Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA

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Source Information

Definition of all from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.

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