all-or-nothing

adjective

all-or-noth·​ing

ˌȯl-ər-ˈnə-thiŋ

1

: all-or-none

2

a

: accepting no less than everything

he's an all-or-nothing perfectionist

b

: risking everything

an all-or-nothing combat strategy

Examples of all-or-nothing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Like a drug, my relationship with AI had become all-or-nothing. — Alana Kaufman, Time, 6 Nov. 2026

Guidance from major bereavement organizations suggests the weeks ahead don’t have to be all-or-nothing. — Ashley Lynch, Sacbee.com, 30 Oct. 2026

Mitchell has taken a similarly all-or-nothing approach in pressing states to pass laws modeled on the SAVE America Act, sometimes with similarly self-defeating results. — Doug Bock Clark, ProPublica, 28 Oct. 2026

Tips to Decrease Soda Without Feeling Deprived Reducing soda intake does not have to be all-or-nothing. — Brittany Poulson, Verywell Health, 23 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1764, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for all-or-nothing

• nothing

Medical Definition

all-or-nothing

adjective

all-or-noth·​ing -ˈnəth-iŋ 

: all-or-none