root-and-branch

A form of root and branch — Total, thorough, sweeping, complete, radical, drastic.

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Meanings

adjectiveroot-and-branch (not comparable)
  1. alternativenot comparableAlternative form of root and branch.

    A root-and-branch reform of our antiquated passenger fares system is urgently needed if the rail industry is to fill the £2 billion annual black hole in its finances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

    2022 November 16, Howard Johnston, “Network News: Haines: fares reform essential to reclaim lost revenue”, in RAIL, number 970, page 20
    1 more example

    Argentine President Javier Milei, a flamboyantly outspoken libertarian, won power late last year in a landslide victory on the promise of a root-and-branch remaking of government to rescue the country’s crisis-ridden economy.

    2024 December 5, Ned Temko, “‘Bonfire of the incumbents’ unseats governments worldwide in 2024”, in The Christian Science Monitor
Cite this entry
APA

root-and-branch. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/root-and-branch

MLA

“root-and-branch.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/root-and-branch. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “root-and-branch,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/root-and-branch.

Source: root-and-branch on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.