overarching

/ˈoʊvərˌɑrtʃɪŋ/

/əʊvəˈɑtʃɪŋ/

When something is overarching, it affects or includes everything. While your novel touches on a lot of subjects and ideas, its overarching theme is the importance of friendship.

When it's used figuratively, this adjective describes a quality that influences every single part of something. You can say that your club's overarching interest is the outdoors, or that the overarching goal of your school is to give everyone a solid STEM education. Overarching also literally means "forming an arch shape over something," like the overarching grape vines you pass beneath to enter your friend's garden.

Definitions of overarching

1. adjective

   forming an arch over or above something
2. adjective

   including all or everything
   synonyms: comprehensive

   complete

   having every necessary or normal part or component or step

   across-the-board, all-embracing, all-encompassing, all-inclusive, blanket, broad, encompassing, extensive, panoptic, sweeping, wide

   broad in scope or content

   all-around, all-round, well-rounded

   many-sided

   citywide

   occurring or extending throughout a city

   countywide

   occurring or extending throughout a county

   countrywide, nationwide

   occurring or extending throughout a country or nation

   cosmopolitan, ecumenical, general, oecumenical, universal, world-wide, worldwide

   of worldwide scope or applicability

   door-to-door, house-to-house

   omitting no one; from the door of one house to that of the next

   encyclopaedic, encyclopedic

   broad in scope or content

   large

   having broad power and range and scope

   omnibus

   providing for many things at once

   plenary

   full in all respects

   spaciotemporal, spatiotemporal

   existing in both space and time; having both spatial extension and temporal duration

   schoolwide

   occurring or extending throughout a school

   statewide

   occurring or extending throughout a state

   super

   including more than a specified category

   umbrella

   covering or applying simultaneously to a number of similar items or elements or groups

   general

   applying to all or most members of a category or group

   broad, wide

   having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other