overarching focus

USAGE SUMMARY

"overarching focus" is a perfectly correct and usable phrase in written English.
It can be used to refer to the main idea or goal that is guiding or directing your efforts, activities, thoughts, etc. For example, "My overarching focus this year is to achieve a better work-life balance."

✓ Grammatically correct

Academia

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

25 human-written examples

He says: "That doesn't mean I only do things related to that theme on that day, but those activities or types of work get my overarching focus.

Forbes

Individual scripture quotes can lose their connection to the "true portrait" of God's love in Christ that is the Bible's overarching focus.

Huffington Post

Our overarching focus is to model how brain disorders arise and to develop disease-specific treatments.

Stanford University

The ACA was touted as a remedy for our broken health system, but its overarching focus was expansion of coverage.

Harvard Business Review

The development of quality indicators for pain management is an overarching focus of research in this area.

Yale University

The FOMC is cautious, and quite conservative when it comes to moving away from its overarching focus on price stability, but it is responsive.

The Economist

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

35 human-written examples

Detractors charged that his work was "popular" history, more superficial than overarching, focusing unduly on goods, services and processes at the expense of ideas and ideologies.

The New York Times

His overarching research focused on understand the epidemiology of bacterial pathogens through the application of whole-genome sequencing, phylogenetics, population genetics, with specific interest in the growing issue of antibiotic-resistance.

Harvard University

Regrettably, the long list of guiding principles announced by CMS does not include an overarching, laser focus on rapidly increasing health care costs to ensure we continue bending the cost curve in the right direction.

Huffington Post

The first twelve episodes of the season establish the overarching themes, with increasing focus on the mysterious activities of the Initiative.

Wikipedia

Four overarching themes emerged from focus group discussions: 1) Versatile functionality of the Lawson SMART Record and smartphone facilitated use; 2) Aspects of the technologies as barriers to use; 3) Use of the Mental health Engagement Network technologies resulted in perceived positive outcomes; 4) Future enhancement of the Lawson SMART Record and intervention is recommended.

BMC Psychiatry

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "overarching focus", ensure it accurately reflects the primary and most encompassing goal or area of attention. Avoid using it for secondary or minor objectives.

Common error

Avoid using "overarching focus" to describe short-term or easily achievable goals. This phrase implies a long-term, comprehensive objective that guides numerous smaller actions.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "overarching focus" functions as a noun phrase, where "overarching" acts as an adjective modifying the noun "focus". According to Ludwig, this phrase is used to define the main subject that is discussed.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

32%

Academia

28%

Science

24%

Less common in

Formal & Business

8%

Wiki

8%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "overarching focus" is a grammatically sound and frequently used phrase to denote the primary area of attention or objective. As Ludwig AI states, it effectively communicates the central theme guiding an activity or discussion. Its use spans diverse contexts, including news, academia, and science, making it versatile for various professional and formal communications. When employing this phrase, it's important to ensure that it reflects a long-term, comprehensive goal, and that short-term or easily achievable goals aren't misrepresented as an "overarching focus". Alternatives such as "primary emphasis" and "central theme" can be used depending on the specific intent.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

primary emphasis

Replaces "focus" with "emphasis" and "overarching" with "primary", suggesting a key point but may not imply a comprehensive scope.

central theme

Substitutes both words to highlight the core subject or idea, shifting from a specific goal to a broader concept.

main objective

Changes "focus" to "objective" and "overarching" to "main", denoting a specific aim or goal, rather than a broad area of concentration.

key goal

Uses "goal" instead of "focus", emphasizing the desired outcome, while "key" simplifies the overall emphasis.

principal aim

Replaces "focus" with "aim" and "overarching" with "principal", indicating an intended outcome, but slightly more formal.

chief concern

Shifts the emphasis to a point of worry or importance, rather than a goal or area of concentration.

dominant idea

Highlights the most prominent thought or concept, rather than a practical objective.

major priority

Uses "priority" instead of "focus", placing importance on what needs to be done first, rather than a sustained point of attention.

core principle

Replaces "focus" with "principle", shifting from a point of attention to a guiding belief or rule.

fundamental concept

Emphasizes the basic or essential idea, rather than a focus or objective.

FAQs

How can I use "overarching focus" in a sentence?

You can use "overarching focus" to describe a primary goal or theme that guides actions or decisions, such as, "The company's "overarching focus" is on sustainable development".

What are some alternatives to "overarching focus"?

Some alternatives to "overarching focus" include "primary emphasis", "central theme", or "main objective", depending on the specific context.

Is it redundant to say "main overarching focus"?

Yes, using "main" and "overarching" together can be redundant because "overarching" already implies the primary or most important aspect. It's better to use either "main focus" or "overarching focus".

What's the difference between "overarching focus" and "specific goal"?

"Overarching focus" refers to a broad, comprehensive aim that guides multiple activities, whereas "specific goal" is a clearly defined, measurable objective. The "overarching focus" provides the general direction, and the specific goals are the steps to get there.