all-or-none

1 7.0

Happening fully or not at all, with no partial result

adjective

Specialized

: todo o nada

For some criterion-referenced items, all-or-none grading may be appropriate.

It's always either all or none.

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Examples

Many social decisions have to be made in a categorical, yes-or-no, all-or-none fashion even though a lot of our biology is fuzzy and continuous.

Academic text (2006)
The cells are going through this all or none process.
It's not good with an all-or-none approach.

Blog text (6)
Validity is always a matter of degree rather than an all-or-none judgment.

Academic text (1998)
Not all admirers of Steiner, however, seem compelled to take an all-or-none approach to his teachings.

Academic text (1991)
The medication works on an all-or-none basis, meaning it is effective only if taken correctly.
In an all-or-none response, the neuron either fires completely or does not fire at all.
An all-or-none strategy in this project means that we either complete the entire plan or abandon it altogether.

Synonyms

all or nothing

vsall-or-none

12 4.2

Being fully committed to one plan with no compromise

focuses on a process outcome being fully present or absent

all-or-nothing

vsall-or-none

5 5.2

Allowing no compromise and happening completely or not at all

has identical meaning but differs only in wording

Antonyms

partial

203 3.4

Not complete and only in some parts

How Absolute

all-or-none

Specialized

1 7.0

graded

3.2

partial

203 3.4

Surface Forms

all-or-none positive

Morphology

all-or-none = all + none (transparent) = all + none

The meaning follows directly from the clear coordination of two common words 'all' and 'none' indicating a binary, either-or condition.

Etymology

All-or-none comes from the simple words all ('everything') and none ('nothing'). It describes something that happens fully or not at all, like a light switch that is either 'on' or 'off'.