Idiom idiom
grand scheme
Meaning
The totality of the situation approached objectively; the big picture.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“This small mistake does not matter in the grand scheme.”
“Although the project feels stressful right now, it is quite minor in the grand scheme of our company goals.”
“When viewed within the grand scheme of historical events, the temporary political disagreement seemed insignificant to the long-term stability of the nation.”
Origin
From the full phrase *grand scheme of things*, functioning as a linguistic ellipsis. The expression emerged in the early 19th century.
Anchors to
Last updated August 10, 2026