overall
n. sent.n. taking everything into account or looking at the whole situation. You use this to summarize a result or a feeling after considering all the details.
n. taking everything into account; in view of all circumstances or conditions. Frequently used to introduce a summary or a concluding evaluation of a data set or situation.
Overall, the event was a great success.
The team lost two games, but overall they played much better than they did last season.
While specific sectors experienced minor declines, the overall economic outlook remains positive due to strong consumer spending and low unemployment rates.
From Middle English overall, overal, from Old English ofer eall, ofer ealle (“over all”), equivalent to over + all. Compare Saterland Frisian oural, uural (“everywhere”), West Frisian oeral (“everywhere”), Dutch overal (“everywhere”), German Low German overall, överall (“everywhere; all over”), German überall (“all over; everywhere”), Danish overalt (“everywhere”), Swedish överallt (“everywhere; overall”).
As a sentence adverb, it often appears at the beginning of a clause followed by a comma to provide a summary.
In overall, the plan worked.Overall, the plan worked.Learners often incorrectly add the preposition 'in' before 'overall' by analogy with 'in general' or 'in total'.