whole

[ hohl ]
/ hoʊl /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR whole ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

noun

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
Question 1 of 10
decorum
the act of or need for making up one's mind.
dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.
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Idioms for whole

Origin of whole

before 900; Middle English hole, hool (adj. and noun), Old English hāl (adj.); cognate with Dutch heel, German heil, Old Norse heill; see hale1, heal; spelling with w reflects dial. form

SYNONYMS FOR whole

1 undiminished, integral, complete.
5 unimpaired, perfect.
8 totality, aggregate. Whole, total mean the entire or complete sum or amount. The whole is all there is; every part, member, aspect; the complete sum, amount, quantity of anything, not divided; the entirety: the whole of one's property, family. Total also means whole, complete amount, or number, but conveys the idea of something added together or added up: The total of their gains amounted to millions.
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OTHER WORDS FROM whole

whole·ness, nounself-whole, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH whole

hole whole (see synonym study at hole) (see synonym study at the current entry)

Words nearby whole

whoa, whodunit, whodunnit, whoe'er, whoever, whole, whole ball of wax, the, whole blood, whole brother, whole gale, whole hog
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to as a whole

altogether, bodily, ensemble, generally, jointly, together, unanimously, wholly, collectively, communally, cooperatively, unitedly

British Dictionary definitions for as a whole

whole
/ (həʊl) /

adjective

adverb

in an undivided or unbroken pieceto swallow a plum whole

noun

Derived forms of whole

wholeness, noun

Word Origin for whole

Old English hāl, hǣl; related to Old Frisian hāl, hēl, Old High German heil, Gothic hails; compare hale 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for as a whole

whole
[ hōl ]

adj.

Not wounded, injured, or impaired; sound or unhurt.
Having been restored; healed.

n.

An entity or system made up of interrelated parts.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Idioms and Phrases with as a whole (1 of 2)

as a whole

All parts or aspects considered, altogether, as in I like the play as a whole, though the second act seemed somewhat slow. [Early 1800s] Also see on the whole.

Idioms and Phrases with as a whole (2 of 2)

whole
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.