entire

[en-tahyuhr]

adjective

1. having all the parts or elements; whole; complete.

   He wrote the entire novel in only six weeks.

   Antonyms: partial

2. full or thorough.

   He has been given entire freedom of choice in this matter.

3. not broken, mutilated, or decayed; intact.

   We were fortunate to find this relic entire.

   Antonyms: defective

4. unimpaired or undiminished.

   His entire energies have gone into making the enterprise a success.

5. being wholly of one piece; undivided; continuous.

   The entire mood of the symphony was joyful.

6. Botany.,  without notches or indentations, as leaves.

7. not gelded.

   an entire horse.

8. Obsolete.,  wholly of one kind; unmixed or pure.

noun

1. Archaic.,  the whole; entirety.

2. an ungelded animal, especially a stallion.

entire

/ ɪnˈtaɪə /

adjective

1. (prenominal) whole; complete

   the entire project is going well

2. (prenominal) without reservation or exception; total

   you have my entire support

3. not broken or damaged; intact

4. consisting of a single piece or section; undivided; continuous

5. (of leaves, petals, etc) having a smooth margin not broken up into teeth or lobes

6. not castrated

   an entire horse

7. obsolete,  of one substance or kind; unmixed; pure

noun

1. a less common word for entirety

2. an uncastrated horse

3. philately

   1. a complete item consisting of an envelope, postcard, or wrapper with stamps affixed

   2. (of a stamp) placed on an envelope, postcard, etc, and bearing postal directions

Other Word Forms

• entireness noun
• subentire adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of entire¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English entere, from Middle French entier, from Latin integrum, accusative of integer “whole”; integer

Word History and Origins

Origin of entire¹

C14: from Old French entier, from Latin integer whole, from _in- ¹ + tangere to touch

Example Sentences

Fiona Apple appears mid-record to sing an entire song — “Letter from an Unknown Girlfriend” — and her unsurprisingly incredible performance switches the mood and brings down the testosterone.

From Salon

The customer sits in the chair for the entire day, and when it’s over, Miriam’s fingers are so blistered that the others rush to get her an Epsom salt soak.

From Los Angeles Times

Last week, Rajoelina dismissed Prime Minister Christian Ntsay, a civilian, and his entire cabinet in an attempt to placate the protesters.

From BBC

Almost the entire population has been displaced and much of its infrastructure flattened.

From BBC

“This news came as a complete shock to our entire team.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• full 
• integrated 
• unified www.thesaurus.com

When To Use

What does entire mean?

Entire describes something that is complete or whole, as in With my parents away for the weekend, I have the entire house to myself.Entire also describes something that is in one piece or continuous, as in The entire mood of the class was worried as our teacher handed out the tests.Example: The entire series is perfect and there are no bad episodes.