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All and sundry

Idiomatic Phrase
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Everyone without distinction; a collective term meaning all people, regardless of status or condition, often used in poetry to emphasize universality or inclusivity in addressing a group.

Detailed Definition
An old English expression for inclusive groups. In poetry, it evokes community, democracy, or chaotic crowds, used in social commentary or panoramic scenes to represent universality or anonymity in human experience.
Example
Example in poetry:
A civic poem might say the bell summoned all and sundry to the square; In satire, all and sundry can suggest a noisy crowd of every rank and opinion; A poet could use the phrase to make a gathering feel public and indiscriminate; The phrase suits a comic verse where all and sundry offer useless advice.
Additional Notes
A traditional phrase meaning everyone collectively, often with a slightly old-fashioned or public tone. In poetry it can evoke crowds, village gossip, public ceremony, or social judgement. Its rhythm and breadth make it useful when a speaker wants to contrast private feeling with communal noise. Students should notice that it is inclusive but impersonal: it gathers people together without naming individuals.
Also Known As
One and all
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