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.
Verizon and AT&T may also be interested in some of those licenses, which altogether are valued at $11.3 billion, according to Petti.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
Frustration has boiled over into periodic calls to end fraternities at Cornell altogether.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
The partner “whom she knew, or believed she knew” is, Julia thinks, “not altogether the same man” as the Ryan with whom she now lives.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
The inquiry by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Endometriosis, supported by Endometriosis UK, found 47% of women with the condition had lost income because of their symptoms, while 28% had left a job altogether.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
William “had made a reputation so startling that I regarded the task of catching up to him as being altogether hopeless.”
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
