be-all end-all
The only thing
The be-all end-all is the thing that matters most, the ultimate goal or final word on something: For some people, money is the be-all end-all.
Often used in negation to suggest something isn't as important as claimed: A college degree isn't the be-all end-all.
The phrase comes from Shakespeare's Macbeth, where it referred to an act that would settle everything at once.
- ultimateHighest or most extreme
- alpha and omegaThe complete extent
- quintessencePurest embodiment of something
- sine qua nonIndispensable condition
- acmeUltimate point of attainment
pinnacle · epitome · holy grail · raison d'être · whole point · make-or-break · main thing · crown · essential · life-or-death · apex · zenith · paramountcy · bottom line · finality · indispensability · purpose · top priority
be-all end-alltriviality
Unimportant small matter
afterthought · footnote · minor detail · trifle · insignificance
be-all end-allcontributing factor
Element helping cause something
element · component · variable · input · starting point
be-all end-allstarting point
Place of commencement
beginning · first step · preliminary · stopgap · half-measure