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all the

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all the

A greater amount or degree of something, usually as a result of, due to, or compared to something else. All the worse for me, as I have no one to help shoulder the burden now that I am alone. It's too bad that you're allergic to shellfish, but all the more lobster for me!

See also: all

all the

1. Even, more so, as in Painting the room white will make it all the lighter, or They liked her all the better for not pretending, or You don't care for dessert? Good, all the more for us. Used to underscore a comparison, this idiom was used by Shakespeare in As You Like It (1:2): "All the better; we shall be the more marketable." [Late 1500s] For a synonym, see so much the.

2. The entire amount of, as in These cousins were all the family he had. In this usage all the is short for all of the. [Ninth century a.d.]

See also: all