on balance

on balance idiom
Taking everything into consideration, as in On balance I think we've had a very good year. This expression, which in effect means “balancing all the factors involved,” was first recorded in 1719.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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