What does 'all things considered' mean?

What it means: Taking all factors and circumstances into account, the overall conclusion is what follows. It signals a balanced overall judgment.

"All things considered, it was a good conference."
"All things considered, I'd make the same decision again."
"It went well, all things considered." (especially used when there were difficulties)

What it implies: There were pros and cons, positive and negative factors — but weighing them all together, the conclusion is positive (or at least acceptable). Often used when there's an implicit "despite the difficulties."

"All things considered" vs "overall":
"Overall" is briefer and more neutral. "All things considered" carries more of a sense that you've genuinely weighed up multiple factors.

Register: Neutral. Works in professional writing, formal speech, and casual conversation. Common at the end of summaries or evaluations.

Tags: expressions, summarising, evaluation, everyday English