'the overriding point' is correct and usable in written English.
It is typically used to refer to the main point of something, such as a discussion, argument, or debate. For example, "The overriding point of the article is that we should strive to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels."
The key is that the overriding point of the relationship is the relationship itself.
—"Reluctant Librarian" "Books represent the overriding point of conflict in my marriage".
But the overriding point is that a university has the right to determine that its mission is well served by having students engage in vigorous philosophic, religious, scientific, social and political discussion in their extracurricular activities.
Charles Banks-Altekruse's argument for establishing a permanent site for the Olympic Games ("Give the Olympics a Home," Op-Ed, March 1) misses the overriding point of the Games for the millions like me who sit at home and are captivated for two weeks every two years.
But the overriding point to note in the cases of all these footballers is that once a suspension has been served or a fine paid, the career resumes with no further stigma, give or take the odd mocking chant from opposition supporters.
I would say only that the overriding point I thought worth making and the central one that I adopted for the piece from Zimring's work is that there is no connection between increased levels of incarceration and the fall in crime.
And that was, all his life, Kennan's great, overriding point.
If "Bonk" has an overriding point, it is that trivia about scientific sex research can be truly grisly, especially in its geniality.
In short, how clean does clean need to be? Surely there's a more overriding point: that if funding accomplishes some form of social good, that is in itself an argument for keeping it.
"Finding a respectable exit from the ten-year conflict against the Taliban and its allies has become the overriding priority," points out The Economist.
Books like this one, in which experts in highly specialized fields are each invited to write a chapter, will by their very nature lack an overriding point-of-view, but at the very least, the book should have had a strong introduction to put the content in context.
