overarching

adjective

over·​arch·​ing ˌō-vər-ˈär-chiŋ 

1

: forming an arch overhead

an overarching bower

an overarching bridge

2

: dominating or embracing all else

overarching goals

overarching ambition

projects of overarching public benefit

—Bob Katz

Examples of overarching in a Sentence

Computer downtime is an overarching problem in all departments.

Recent Examples on the Web

But the overarching benefits of greater efficiency, safety and cost savings never materialized. — Lee-Lean Shu, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026

The message — intended for medical regulators and licensed clinicians alike — was designed to be lofty and overarching, but balanced and practical. — Humayun Chaudhry, STAT, 3 Aug. 2026

In this year’s Locarno Pro panel discussions and keynotes, what are some of the key overarching themes? — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 3 Aug. 2026

That was the overarching theme of the Full Court Health event, hosted by Glamour, GQ Sports, and Eli Lilly and Company, at VenueSix10 during All-Star Weekend. — Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 31 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1720, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for overarching

• arching
• marching
• parching