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

These methods also help combat the all-or-nothing thinking that can make a task seem too daunting, leading to feelings of paralysis, experts said. —Kristen Rogers, CNN, 27 Jan. 2025

There are committed performances, and there’s Kidman’s all-or-nothing interpretation of a CEO diving headfirst into an affair with a younger man in Halina Reijn’s conversation-starter of a romantic melodrama. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 23 Jan. 2025

Being so all-or-nothing predates Postecoglou, but his style compounds it. —Mark Carey, The Athletic, 17 Jan. 2025

For ByteDance, this all-or-nothing approach carries substantial risks. —Esat Dedezade, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025

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