all 1 of 3

all

2 of 3

adjective

all

3 of 3

pronoun

as in everyone
every person a joyous holiday to one and all!

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word all distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of all are entire, total, and whole. While all these words mean "including everything or everyone without exception," all may equal whole, entire, or total.

all proceeds go to charity

When might entire be a better fit than all?

The synonyms entire and all are sometimes interchangeable, but entire may suggest a state of completeness or perfection to which nothing can be added.

the entire population was wiped out

When could total be used to replace all?

In some situations, the words total and all are roughly equivalent. However, total implies that everything has been counted, weighed, measured, or considered.

the total number of people present

Where would whole be a reasonable alternative to all?

While in some cases nearly identical to all, whole implies that nothing has been omitted, ignored, abated, or taken away.

read the whole book

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of all
Adverb
If Ward, Sanders, and Dart are all off the board when the Steelers come up, the team could get desperate. Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025 Or, as Dries put it, was all about paying attention. Brett Braley, Robb Report, 23 Apr. 2025
Adjective
Also while at Kansas, Townsend has coached 13 NBA Draft lottery selections, more than 30 overall NBA draftees and 70 all-Big 12 Jayhawks. Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 3 Apr. 2025 This touchscreen laptop is big on power, but small in stature thanks to a Ryzen 7 CPU and an all-metal chassis weighing only 3.62 pounds. Jade Chung-Lee, PC Magazine, 4 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for all
Recent Examples of Synonyms for all
Adverb
  • Almost, but not quite spontaneously, Adam and Teddy take off in Teddy’s truck, heading north, maybe to the arctic, maybe to just get out of town for a bit.
    John Warner, Chicago Tribune, 10 May 2025
  • Montverde won the final event, the 4×400 relay, in 3 minutes 45.5 seconds but that wasn’t quite enough.
    Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 May 2025
Adverb
  • As of Wednesday’s close, the Dow and Nasdaq were each less than 1% off their all-time highs.
    Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 20 Feb. 2025
  • The longtime friends are each dry witted, yet oddly warm in the face of painful events.
    Lisa Kennedy, Variety, 3 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Kids Receiving Our Full Attention: Put away the distractions and give your kids your undivided attention.
    Joshua Becker, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025
  • But even coming close got Tallahassee’s undivided attention.
    Steve Bousquet, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 May 2025
Adverb
  • If those conversations do happen, Dr. Brady stresses the importance of listening fully and without judgment.
    Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 16 May 2025
  • On the more challenging side, as in many other European countries, production budgets are rising, theatrical audience numbers have not fully returned to pre-COVID levels and the most significant drop is among kids and youth.
    Annika Pham, Variety, 15 May 2025
Adjective
  • Dina’s hair looks incredible the entire time, by the way.
    Kate Aurthur, Variety, 5 May 2025
  • Since then, the Club Shay Shay host and his legal team have vehemently denied the allegations and claimed the Jane Doe set up the entire situation with a plan to extort him for $50 million.
    Regina Cho, VIBE.com, 5 May 2025
Adjective
  • And so that was my struggle throughout the whole scene — just trying not to cry.
    Kate Aurthur, Variety, 5 May 2025
  • Between the savory courses and dessert, a cook might come by to present a palate-cleansing bite of fruit, such as whole sweet tamarinds in their pods, or sticky white trapezoids of soursop.
    Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 4 May 2025
Adverb
  • Not everything landed perfectly, with the writing of many of the live bits feeling like the staff are just going through the motions, but Brunson’s ability to commit to each role and work seamlessly off the cast more than made up for it.
    Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 4 May 2025
  • With the future of the show uncertain, the cast and crew shot the episode with a conclusion that wraps up the series perfectly.
    Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 4 May 2025
Adverb
  • Angelo lives two totally separate lives — fearsome NYC hitman and sleepy upstate Cooperstown photocopier salesman and father.
    Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 12 May 2025
  • Downsides: The headboard feels a little thin, the assembly instructions might not be totally accurate, and the overall design leans a lot more pared down.
    Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 12 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“All.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/all. Accessed 20 May. 2025.

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