Meaning
A sarcastic name for money, casting the dollar as an idol worshipped above everything else. Calling it almighty - a word once reserved for God alone - mocks the way material wealth becomes the true object of devotion in commerce-driven societies, especially in the United States. Inherently satirical - it implies criticism of money-worship, so avoid using it approvingly, as in earning the almighty dollar, which flips the intended sneer. Regional use: American English (origin); now General English.
Origin
Coined by Washington Irving in his sketch The Creole Village, published in November 1836 in The Knickerbocker magazine and in the 1837 edition of the literary annual The Magnolia: 'the almighty dollar, that great object of universal devotion throughout our land', with its banking houses standing among 'other pious shrines'. The wording had a precedent in Ben Jonson's 'almighty gold' of 1616. Charles Dickens helped spread the phrase in American Notes (1842), though Wikipedia notes it was not truly popularized until the 1900s. The extended 'pursuit of the almighty dollar' is often credited to Bulwer-Lytton's novel The Coming Race (1871), but documented uses from 1852 and 1853 show he did not coin that version either.
Research Sources
References used to check this entry’s meaning, history, or documented forms.
Variants
- almighty dollars
- the mighty dollar
- the pursuit of the almighty dollar
Usage Examples
- The town council sold the public park to developers because the almighty dollar always wins around here.
- He promised the almighty dollar would never sway his vote, then quietly pocketed the developer's donation.
- For all its talk of art, the film industry bows to the almighty dollar like any other business.