You know, I was writing this big report the other day, and I kept using the word overall over and over again.
It felt clunky, like my sentences were all sounding the same. I thought, there has to be a better way to say this.
So I started exploring different words and phrases I could use instead. Honestly, it was a game changer!
Not only did it make my writing sound smoother, but it also helped me express my ideas more clearly. And the best part? I discovered so many alternatives that now I never have to rely on just overall again.
General Synonyms for Overall

- All in all
- Altogether
- On the whole
- As a whole
- In general
- In total
- By and large
- Across the board
- Everything considered
- In every respect
- In summary
- Broadly speaking
- Generally speaking
- Taken together
- In its entirety
- Wholly
- Entirely
- Globally
- Collectively
- Fully
Summarizing or Concluding

- In conclusion
- To sum up
- To wrap up
- In brief
- In short
- In essence
- All things considered
- Ultimately
- Overall speaking
- As a summary
- At the end of the day
- In final analysis
- To finalize
- Conclusively
- In totality
- As a recap
- At large
- In review
- In overview
- In closing
Academic or Professional Alternatives
- In aggregate
- In general terms
- From a big picture view
- By totality
- In broad terms
- Taking everything into account
- As a comprehensive view
- Considering all factors
- In the main
- In gross
- Collectively speaking
- In sum
- As a whole picture
- Taken as a whole
- All factors included
- Viewed globally
- In final assessment
- Across the spectrum
- In comprehensive terms
- Overall assessment
Everyday Casual Alternatives
- All things together
- Overall vibe
- On balance
- Everything put together
- The whole deal
- In everyday terms
- Looking at it generally
- All said and done
- All in one
- At a glance
- In the big picture
- All wrapped up
- By and large view
- In simple terms
- Looking at everything
- In all aspects
- When you consider it
- Across the board view
- When you look at it
- In broad view
Describing Performance or Quality

- Holistically
- Across all areas
- In totality
- Across the board
- In entirety
- Full scale
- End to end
- As a whole picture
- On every front
- Across every aspect
- In completeness
- Fully considered
- Total perspective
- Overall quality
- Complete view
- General outcome
- All round view
- From start to finish
- All inclusive
- Fully summed
Expressing Scope or Range

- Throughout
- Across the spectrum
- Across the board
- From start to end
- In all respects
- In wide terms
- As a total
- Spanning everything
- Entirely inclusive
- Across every level
- Whole scale
- In full extent
- Globally speaking
- Covering all areas
- Inclusive view
- In every way
- In total coverage
- Across dimensions
- Full scope
- Across categories
For Writing or Storytelling
- In overall terms
- From a general point
- In narrative scope
- Across the storyline
- In broad strokes
- As a total story
- Considering the plot
- From start to finish
- Overall perspective
- Total view
- In the grand scheme
- Across the chapters
- Entire picture
- As a whole tale
- Complete narrative
- Looking at the story
- From beginning to end
- In the entirety of events
- General narrative
- Overall summary
Conversational and Friendly
- Basically
- All together now
- Looking at it all
- Overall sense
- On the whole thing
- All combined
- The big picture view
- As one
- The total picture
- Taken all together
- In general vibe
- When you add it all up
- Every bit included
- In the long run
- In simple view
- On the whole plan
- When you sum it up
- At a broad glance
- Taken overall
- Everything as one
Analytical or Review Context

- In review
- Overall evaluation
- Full assessment
- Complete analysis
- As an overall measure
- In broad analysis
- Considering all elements
- Full appraisal
- Across the evaluation
- Total examination
- Comprehensive review
- Across all metrics
- Complete assessment
- Whole-scale review
- In critical view
- Across the board assessment
- Final review
- Total conclusion
- Overall findings
- General judgment
Miscellaneous Alternatives

- Overarching
- As a generality
- In general context
- As a totality
- Across entirety
- In big picture terms
- Summed up
- In whole
- In global terms
- In overall scope
- All-round
- Complete view
- Total perspective
- Broad overview
- Inclusive overview
- Complete scope
- Everything in one
- Global view
- Entire outlook
- Universal view
Conclusion
In conclusion, expanding your vocabulary beyond the word overall can make your writing and speech more engaging, precise, and versatile.
If you choose alternatives like in general, on the whole, broadly speaking, or all things considered, each option adds a slightly different nuance that can better fit your context.
Experiment with these expressions, and watch your communication become clearer, more dynamic, and more polished.











