all-around

[ awl-uh-round ]
See synonyms for all-around on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. able to do many things; versatile: an all-around player.

  2. broadly applicable; not specialized: an all-around education.

  1. inclusive; comprehensive; complete: an all-around failure.

Origin of all-around

1
First recorded in 1720–30
  • Also all-round [awl-round] /ˈɔlˈraʊnd/ .

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use all-around in a sentence

  • Mr. Norcross stands six feet two in his socks, and I've heard that he was the best all-around athlete in his college bunch.

    The Wreckers | Francis Lynde
  • The best all-around college and baseball tale yet presented.

    From Farm to Fortune | Horatio Alger Jr.
  • Jack Lorimer is a fine example of the all-around American high-school boys.

  • Persis wore her "all-around" diamond crown, and danced with a Russian grand-duke and a prince or two.

    What Will People Say? | Rupert Hughes
  • Her costume completed the picture: she was robed for the opera, and she wore her all-around crown of diamonds.

    What Will People Say? | Rupert Hughes

British Dictionary definitions for all-around

all-around

adjective
  1. (prenominal) the US equivalent of all-round

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012