all in all — overall / summarising
expressionC1IELTS 7+neutralcommon
Used to sum up or give a general conclusion about a situation after considering all the details.
Say it like a native
Textbook Upon comprehensive consideration of all the relevant factors, the trip was satisfactory.
Native All in all, it went pretty well.
The chunk signals a wrap-up in three words; the formal version takes a whole clause.
Pattern: all in all, [clause]
In use
- All in all, it was a great trip despite the weather.daily life
- All in all, I think technology has made our lives easier, even though it sometimes creates new problems.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ All in all of it, the trip was great.
✓ All in all, the trip was great.
It's a fixed opener — don't add 'of it'.
Common collocations
all in all + summary— it was, a good, not bad, I'd say
Don't confuse it
'All in all' is more informal and spoken than 'overall' or 'in conclusion', which are used more in writing or formal speech.