Definition

Adjective: - Unsurpassed up to the present time; the highest, lowest, best, worst, etc., ever recorded or considered in a particular category. It describes a record or status that has not been exceeded throughout the entire period being considered, typically from the beginning of records or memory until now.

Usage

The adjective "all-time" is almost always used attributively, meaning it is placed directly before a noun (like "high," "low," "best," "favorite") to modify it. It emphasizes that something is the most extreme of its kind in all of history or recorded data.

Examples

• The company's stock price reached an all-time high this week.
• After the scandal, the politician's popularity hit an all-time low.
• Many critics consider her an all-time great in the world of cinema.
• This chocolate cake is my all-time favorite dessert.

Advanced Usage

• "All-time" can be used with superlatives (greatest, worst) or other extreme states (high, low) to intensify them historically.
  • He is arguably the all-time greatest basketball player.
• It can be used in informal contexts to express a personal, subjective "best ever."
  • That was my all-time best vacation.

Variants and Related Words

• Record-breaking (adj.): Surpassing a previously established record. While similar, "record-breaking" focuses on breaking a specific record, whereas "all-time" emphasizes being the ultimate in the entire history considered.
  • The athlete set a new record-breaking time. (This broke the old record.)
  • The athlete set an all-time record. (This is the best ever.)

Synonyms

• Unprecedented: Never done or known before. (Focuses on novelty rather than a ranked position.)
• Record: Constituting the best performance or most extreme example officially noted. (Often used with "all-time": .)
• Ultimate: Being the best or most extreme example of its kind. (Can be more subjective.)

Related Phrases

• Of all time: A common prepositional phrase with the same meaning, often used after a superlative.
  • She is the greatest singer of all time.
  • This is my favorite movie of all time.

Adjective

1. unsurpassed in some respect up to the present
   • prices at an all-time high
   • morale at an all-time low
   • among the all-time great lefthanders