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

Rahman notes that apps do not have to take an all-or-nothing approach to integrity checking. —Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 11 Sep. 2024

More seriously, some argue that taking an all-or-nothing, founder-or-manager approach is inherently flawed. —Madeline Fitzgerald, Quartz, 6 Sep. 2024

But for those with partly manageable conditions like high cholesterol or chronic viral infection, there may be less enthusiasm in some folks for this all-or-nothing approach. —Fyodor Urnov, TIME, 12 Aug. 2024

While Adebayo will next emerge with either silver or gold, Heat forward Nikola Jovic now finds himself in an all-or-nothing bid for a medal, when Serbia faces Germany in Saturday’s bronze-medal game at 5 a.m. Eastern. —Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 8 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1764, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Medical Definition

all-or-nothing

adjective

all-or-noth·​ing -ˈnəth-iŋ 

: all-or-none