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Synonyms

on the whole

Idioms  

  1. Considering everything, as in On the whole we enjoyed our vacation, although the hotel was not perfect by any means. [Late 1600s] Also see the synonyms by and large; for the most part.

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.

Instead, the 2026 Six Nations has cast doubt on the whole project.

From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026

They weren’t particularly strong collections on the whole, but they were promising.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026

Even Sen. Brian Schatz and Katy Perry got in on the whole thing.

From Slate • Mar. 3, 2026

“Operating costs on the whole drove the beat, with lower corporate costs and a no recognized share-based payments the most likely contributors,” he says.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 2026

“He's pretty touchy on the whole subject of his being unbearable.”

From "An Abundance of Katherines" by John Green

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.