million-dollar question

The pivotal query

The million-dollar question is the crucial question everyone wants answered—the one that would solve a problem or settle uncertainty if only someone could answer it.

The phrase evokes game shows where contestants compete for large cash prizes: The million-dollar question is whether the economy will recover before the election.

Sometimes used literally for high-stakes decisions: Whether to sell the company—that's the million-dollar question.

Related

crucial · conundrum · rhetorical · consequential · enigma · idiomatic · hyperbolic · high-stakes · tough call · mystery · problem · priceless · riddle · dilemma · figurative · paramount · uncertainty · symbolic

Opposites
importance/stakes

million-dollar questionminor detail

Insignificant specific element

small potatoes · moot point · afterthought · side note · footnote

difficulty/complexity

million-dollar questionno-brainer

Self-evident decision

foregone conclusion · gimme · slam dunk · rhetorical question · self-evident truth

Family

million, dollar, dollars, question, questions, questioning, questioned, questioner, questionable

Familiarity
Top 100,000
Profile
Known to kids · Timeless · Abstract · Everyday, not technical · Rated G