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Glite Dictionary
in every sense of the word

in every sense of the word

5 5.2
Completely true in every possible way or meaning
  • idiom
translation icon : en todos los sentidos de la palabra
  • A journalist's job is to be objective in every sense of the word.
  • truly a pro in every sense of the word
  • good in every sense of the word
  • became a hero in every sense of the word

And so, but in, in every sense of the word, life got better for me because of that sport.

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Examples

  • It's a great example of how a partnership should work, in every sense of the word.

    Academic text (2000)

  • Paynter is impressive in every sense of the word.

    Blog text (14)

  • The war at that point was won in every sense of the word.

    Blog text (13)

  • The two women are both real parents in every sense of the word.

    Blog text (4)

  • 2013 is a new beginning in every sense of the word.

    Blog text (2)

  • I had such a wonderful meal, in every sense of the word.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • He's a team player in every sense of the word.

    Blog text (21)

  • Chairman Crooks was a leader in every sense of the word.

    Blog text (9)

  • John F. Kavanaugh, S.J., was a Jesuit in every sense of the word, and he was it to perfection.

    Blog text (1)

  • It's a great example of how a partnership should work, in every sense of the word.

Antonyms

falsehood
46 4.3

A statement that is not true

misinterpretation
11 6.0

A wrong understanding of something that leads to wrong conclusions

Surface Forms

in every sense of the word positive

Morphology

in + every + sense + of + the + word

The phrase is directly compositional: it combines 'sense' (meaning/interpretation) and 'word' to say that something is true in every possible meaning or aspect of the term. This is a common, cross-linguistic rhetorical pattern, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words should be able to infer the emphatic meaning.

Etymology

In every sense of the word comes from the idea that a sense is a way to understand a word. Imagine checking all the different meanings or ways to see that word; if something fits every one, you can say it is true 'in every sense of the word'.