all-or-nothing


Also found in: Thesaurus, Wikipedia.

all-or-noth·ing

(ôl′ər-nŭth′ĭng)
adj.
1. Involving either complete success or failure, with no intermediate result: "Downhill races are all-or-nothing events, decided on the basis of one run" (Neil Amdur).
2. Refusing to accept less than all demands; uncompromising: an all-or-nothing negotiating position.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

all′-or-noth′ing



adj.
not allowing qualification; either fully accepted or not at all: an all-or-nothing approach.
[1860–70]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Adj.1.all-or-nothing - occurring completely or not occurring at all
complete - having every necessary or normal part or component or step; "a complete meal"; "a complete wardrobe"; "a complete set of the Britannica"; "a complete set of china"; "a complete defeat"; "a complete accounting"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
References in periodicals archive ?
1 Identify an all-or-nothing thought you've had that's at one extreme or the other.
Binary options are over-the-counter derivatives that allow clients to make 'all-or-nothing' bets on specific events in a specific timeframe.
I am quite sure that the players in the team which lost the shoot-out would feel far better if they had a chance, over 90 minutes, to correct their mistake, instead of being subjected to this all-or-nothing event at the end of the match.
What's more, those who do follow a specialty diet are most likely to classify themselves with flexible terms such as "semi-vegetarian" or "flexitarian," indicating that dietary lifestyle choices are often not all-or-nothing decisions for consumers, said Bret Yonke, manager of consumer insights for Technomic.
The Interim Lightweight Title is up for grabs in this all-or-nothing event and these fighters will stop at nothing to win it all.
President Donald Trump's "all-or-nothing" strategy and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's "small deal" approach.
It is an all-or-nothing, perfect-or-failure, perfect-or-forget-it mentality.
Now, with Hope's all-or-nothing ultimatum, the holiday season could be put at risk on the Friday, Dec.
And it raises concerns that the increasingly popular all-or-nothing 'exclusion' diets can do severe damage to people's health.
Vietnamese-Australian Nguyen said he's taking an 'all-or-nothing' approach in this quest to get Belt No.
An all-or-nothing clash with the West Indies could still happen on Wednesday.