root and branch

alternative root-and-branch

1. not comparableTotal, thorough, sweeping, complete, radical, drastic.

   In his favour, Beeching declared that he supported carrying on with the existing modernisation projects, but that the rest of the business needed root and branch reform.

   2023 March 8, Howard Johnston, “Was Marples the real railway wrecker?”, in RAIL, number 978, page 52

   3 more examples

   When, in 1872, Sir Charles Dilke once more returned to the charge in the House of Commons, introducing a motion for a full enquiry into the Queen's expenditure with a view to a root and branch reform of the Civil List, […]

   1921, Lytton Strachey, Queen Victoria

   We had our chance to make incremental changes, but that time is over. Only a root-and-branch transformation of our economies and societies can save us from accelerating climate disaster.

   2022 October 27, Damian Carrington, quoting Inger Andersen, “Climate crisis: UN finds ‘no credible pathway to 1.5C in place’”, in The Guardian

   Keir Starmer has indicated the Metropolitan police might need to change its name as part of a much-needed “root and branch” review in the wake of the David Carrick case.

   2023 January 19, Aletha Adu, quoting Keir Starmer, “Keir Starmer suggests Met explore changing name in ‘root and branch’ review”, in The Guardian, →ISSN

   Synonyms: abject, frightful, absolute, prize, clean, arrant, categoric, categorical

alternative root-and-branch

1. not comparableTotally, completely.

   "I can't help coming, sir," continued Mrs. Parker. "Where am I to go if I don't come? Mr. Lopez, sir, has ruined us root and branch,—root and branch."

   1876, Anthony Trollope, chapter LV, in The Prime Minister. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to IV), London: Chapman & Hall, […], →OCLC

   1 more example

   And far be it from me to deny that socialism is a menace. It is its purpose to wipe out, root and branch, all capitalistic institutions of present-day society.

   1905 April, Jack London, “(please specify the page)”, in War of the Classes, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC

   Synonyms: absolutely, all-out, tout à fait, all the way, stone-cold, blind, altogether, stark