entirely
Americanadverb
-
wholly or fully; completely or unreservedly.
I am not entirely satisfied with the architect's design.
- Synonyms:
- thoroughly, totally
-
solely or exclusively.
adverb
-
without reservation or exception; wholly; completely
-
solely or exclusively; only
Etymology
Origin of entirely
Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; see origin at entire, -ly
Explanation
A white shirt that becomes covered entirely with mud is so completely and totally cloaked that no white will show through. Likewise, if your carelessness is entirely to blame for the muddied shirt, it was your fault and no one else's. The word entirely describes the idea of completeness and wholeness. For instance, someone could be entirely focused on a book they're reading, showing that it has their full attention. A room cleaned entirely has no dust or clutter anywhere, and a story told entirely includes every detail. Something done entirely by one person has been wholly completed by that one person.
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.
Like much of what happens in Washington, it won't be entirely smooth runnings on the streets.
From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026
“All investment decisions are made entirely by independent managers.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
Silents aren’t entirely lost to modernity, of course.
From Salon ● Aug. 22, 2026
Lead author and Monash PhD candidate Sam Foster from the School of Physics and Astronomy said the results create opportunities to investigate entirely new quantum states.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026
“This is your bedroom. Make it entirely your own—move the books around, draw on the walls if you want to. I knitted you a jersey.”
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
Definitions 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.
