sum of its parts

sum of its parts
A concept in holism. Related to the idea that the total effectiveness of a group of things each interacting with one another is different or greater than their effectiveness when acting in isolation from one another.

Together, the ant colony was greater than the sum of its parts.


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  • sum of its parts — see ↑sum, 1 • • • Main Entry: ↑part sum of its parts ◇ Something that is greater/better/more than the sum of its parts is better or more effective as a team, combination, etc., than you would expect it to be when you look at the different parts… …   Useful english dictionary

  • greater than the sum of its parts — greater/more/than the sum of its parts phrase forming a better or stronger combination than you would expect from each of the individual parts The movie has a simple story, but it’s greater than the sum of its parts. Thesaurus: words used to… …   Useful english dictionary

  • more than the sum of its parts — greater/more/than the sum of its parts phrase forming a better or stronger combination than you would expect from each of the individual parts The movie has a simple story, but it’s greater than the sum of its parts. Thesaurus: words used to… …   Useful english dictionary

  • greater than the sum of its parts — more/greater than the sum of its parts ► more powerful, effective, etc. as a whole than you would think if you considered the different features or parts that it consists of: »The claimed logic of this latest merger is that the whole will be more …   Financial and business terms

  • more than the sum of its parts — more/greater than the sum of its parts ► more powerful, effective, etc. as a whole than you would think if you considered the different features or parts that it consists of: »The claimed logic of this latest merger is that the whole will be more …   Financial and business terms

  • more/greater than the sum of its parts — ► more powerful, effective, etc. as a whole than you would think if you considered the different features or parts that it consists of: »The claimed logic of this latest merger is that the whole will be more than the sum of the parts. Main Entry …   Financial and business terms

  • (be) greater than the sum of its parts — be greater/more than the ˌsum of its ˈparts idiom to be better or more effective as a group than you would think just by looking at the individual members of the group Main entry: ↑sumidiom …   Useful english dictionary

  • (be) more than the sum of its parts — be greater/more than the ˌsum of its ˈparts idiom to be better or more effective as a group than you would think just by looking at the individual members of the group Main entry: ↑sumidiom …   Useful english dictionary

  • sum — n Sum, amount, number, aggregate, total, whole, quantity denote a result obtained by putting or taking together all in a given group or mass. Sum denotes the result of simple addition, usually of figures, sometimes of particulars {four is the sum …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • sum — [[t]sʌ̱m[/t]] ♦♦♦ sums, summing, summed 1) N COUNT: oft N of n A sum of money is an amount of money. Large sums of money were lost... Even the relatively modest sum of ₤50,000 now seems beyond his reach. 2) N COUNT A sum is a simple calculation… …   English dictionary

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