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Something considered to be of the utmost importance; something essential or ultimate.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: idiomatic
Examples
- He thought that cars were the be-all and end-all of life.
- Profit is the be-all and end-all of business.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
the essential factor; the all-important element; the supreme aim
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- profit is the be-all and end-all of business
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: be all and end all
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: component, constituent, element, factor, ingredient
No etymology was provided for this word.
Across languages
Translations
13 source translations are retained for this English entry.
-
Czech:
první a poslední
— Something considered to be of the utmost importance
-
Finnish:
kaikki kaikessa
— Something considered to be of the utmost importance
-
French:
raison d'être
— Something considered to be of the utmost importance
-
German:
A und O
— Something considered to be of the utmost importance
-
German:
Wichtigste
— Something considered to be of the utmost importance
-
German:
Daseinsgrund
— Something considered to be of the utmost importance
-
German:
Maß aller Dinge
— Something considered to be of the utmost importance
-
German:
das ist auch nicht alles
— Something considered to be of the utmost importance
-
Ancient Greek:
ἀρχὴ καὶ τέλος
(arkhḕ kaì télos)
— Something considered to be of the utmost importance
-
Polish:
wszystko, co najważniejsze
— Something considered to be of the utmost importance
-
Portuguese:
razão de ser
— Something considered to be of the utmost importance
-
Spanish:
lo más importante
— Something considered to be of the utmost importance
-
Swedish:
A och O
— Something considered to be of the utmost importance
