noun
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the state of being entire or whole; completeness
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a thing, sum, amount, etc, that is entire; whole; total
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of entirety
1300–50; Middle English enter ( e ) te < Middle French entierete < Latin integritāt- (stem of integritās ). See integer, -ity
Explanation
The noun entirety describes something that is total or complete, like when you eat a pizza in its entirety, leaving not even one slice for other people. The noun entirety comes from the Latin word integritas, meaning “untouched” or “whole.” If a televised football game goes long, the announcers might say, "Your local news will air in its entirely after the game." That means the news will be its normal length, not shortened. If you did your assigned reading in its entirety, it means you completed it, reading every page, not just skipping around.
Vocabulary lists containing entirety
Obama on Race 2008
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Obama's health care law -- NYTimes
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Part 3 Vocabulary (Unit 3)
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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.
See Examples For:
“The entirety of our focus is to get to this transaction and get through it,” O’Neil said this week.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
The line that set off the frenzy, in its entirety, is: “He wants to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie on their apparently defenseless flying palace gifted by the emir of Qatar.”
From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026
That is low by historical standards; in lean years the majority, or even the entirety, of the sector's profits have been accounted for by subsidy.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
"At this stage, the fire is now under control in its entirety and should no longer spread," barring a major change in weather conditions or other unforeseen factors, said the local governor's office.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
Lazlo had found a few passages over the years, though the poem in its entirety had never found its way to Zosma.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
In the same life, all the way through the balance of her teens and the entireties of her 20s and 30s, it figures she’s loath to use the word “retirement.”
From Washington Post ● Aug. 10, 2022
Richard was one who would always deal with entireties, being capable of no divisions nor subtleties of praise or blame.
From Madelon A Novel by Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman
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.
