all-around good guy
- noun
- US
- And so ends our tale of that defender of the innocent, protector of the weak and all-around good guy, George of the Jungle.
- a weak, all-around good guy
He was smart, attractive, fit and an all around good guy.
- He was smart, attractive, fit and an all around good guy.
Examples
-
Joe is known as an all-around good guy because he always helps others in need.
-
Everyone loves Mark; he's just an all-around good guy who treats everyone with respect.
-
Great teacher and an all-around good guy.
Blog text (24) -
Just an all-around good guy.
Blog text (17) -
One all-round good guy against one incorrigible brat.
-
Special thanks to John Dillingham, a long-time fellow brick enthusiast and all-around good guy, for tracking down the listing.
Blog text (7) -
As a volunteer and mentor, Tom is truly an all-around good guy in our community.
Synonyms
A person who helps others and usually does the right thing
A person in a story who is kind and acts like a hero
A man who is nice and easy to talk to
Antonyms
How Likeable
- US
- Informal
Surface Forms
Morphology
all-around + good + guy
The phrase's meaning is directly assembled from its parts: 'all-around' (having various qualities), 'good' (kind/upright) and 'guy' (male person), so the sense ‘a generally kind, helpful man’ is transparent. This adjective–adjective–noun composition follows normal English patterns and is likely inferable by a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.
Etymology
All-around good guy comes from the picture of a man who is good in every part of life, because all-around means 'in all parts' and good guy means a kind, helpful man. That's why the phrase means 'a man who is generally kind, helpful, and well-liked by others'.