altogether
Americanadverb
-
wholly; entirely; completely; quite.
altogether fitting.
- Synonyms:
- absolutely, totally, utterly
-
with all or everything included.
The debt amounted altogether to twenty dollars.
-
with everything considered; on the whole.
Altogether, I'm glad it's over.
idioms
adverb
-
with everything included
altogether he owed me sixty pounds
-
completely; utterly; totally
he was altogether mad
-
on the whole
altogether it was a very good party
noun
Commonly Confused
The forms altogether and all together, though often indistinguishable in speech, are distinct in meaning. The adverb altogether means “wholly, entirely, completely”: an altogether confused scene. The phrase all together means “in a group”: The children were all together in the kitchen. The word all can be omitted without seriously affecting the meaning: The children were together in the kitchen.
Etymology
Origin of altogether
First recorded in 1125–75; variant of Middle English altogeder; see all, together
Explanation
If you're altogether certain, you know it for a fact. Since you're altogether sure that your calculations are correct, go ahead with the experiment. Please wear your goggles just in case. Never use “all together” (meaning “all in one place”) when you mean altogether (which can also mean "all things considered"). It was risky to bring us all together again after so many years, but you have to admit that altogether we had a good time. Altogether, it could have been worse. It wasn't altogether bad. I suppose we won't do it again next year.
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.
The hobbit calendar is not altogether separate from ours—we revolve around the same sun—but recorded time begins in Year One, when the hobbits arrived in the Shire by crossing the Brandywine River.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
But what happens when someone so known for their visual flair abandons alluring imagery altogether and lets their writing do all the work?
From Salon ● Oct. 29, 2026
And in Maine's $8-billion forest-related industry, "we're seeing cost increases ripple through," with some logging operations shrinking or shuttering altogether, Martin said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2026
Beachgoers should stay off jetties and sea walls, and avoid beaches altogether during high tides, the weather service said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 25, 2026
“But first things first—back to the letter,” she thought, for at the moment she was trying to solve an altogether different mystery: Had Miss Mortimer forgotten her birthday, or not?
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
