Synonyms

totally

American

[toht-l-ee] / ˈtoʊt l i /

adverb

wholly; entirely; completely.

The two sisters have totally different personalities.
Informal. (used as an intensifier).

I totally cried when the movie ended. That was totally not what I meant.

interjection

Informal. definitely; absolutely (used to express complete agreement or strong affirmation).

Yes, totally, he should apologize to you!

Etymology

Origin of totally

First recorded in 1500–10; total + -ly

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“This was all totally new,” said Beard, an Australian tour operator.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026

Here, my taxes pay for a thing I totally want and I have it.

From Slate • Jun. 6, 2026

Look, I totally respect your average true believer.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2026

"I know that whole situation has been spoken about a lot over the last couple of weeks. I totally understand people's frustrations around it, but there is another side to it," said Stokes.

From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026

“Whoa, what if there are lots of professors acting as secret double agents? Professor Treebaun was a real jerk back at the Academy, I could totally see him as a double agent. Couldn’t you, Blake?”

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023