All American

Top college player

All-American describes someone or something embodying idealized American qualities—wholesome, athletic, patriotic, typically with connotations of mainstream appeal: He had that all-American look.

In college sports, an All-American is an athlete selected to a national honor team representing the best players at their position: She was a three-time All-American in softball.

The term can carry ironic undertones when the idealized image masks darker realities.

Related

quarterback · team captain · hometown · small town · varsity · cheerleader · high school sweetheart · homecoming · blonde · wholesome · boy next door · red white blue · suburbs · white picket fence · prom · letterman · diner · Main Street

Categories
Opposites
national/cultural identity

All Americanun-American

Contrary to national ideals

foreign · anti-American · cosmopolitan · European · exotic

athletic status

All Americanprofessional

Credentialed in one's field

benchwarmer · amateur · intramural · walk-on · pro

cultural typicality

All Americancountercultural

Opposing mainstream society

bohemian · subversive · nonconformist · radical · outsider

Family

American, America, Americas, Americanism, Americanize, Americanization, Americana

Familiarity
Top 500,000
Profile
Mostly American · Timeless · Positive · Everyday, not technical · Rated G