completely
Americanadverb
-
to the whole amount or extent; fully.
Although the river never dries up completely, there are times when the water is barely a trickle.
-
thoroughly; totally.
I was so completely disoriented by the chiming of Big Ben as I stood below it that I walked into someone with my ice cream.
Great storytelling and successful social media campaigns are completely interconnected.
Other Word Forms
- quasi-completely adverb
- subcompletely adverb
- uncompletely adverb
Etymology
Origin of completely
Explanation
Use completely to describe something that is totally and utterly...something. A completely ridiculous idea is absolutely crazy and stupid. Completely is an adverb that comes from the Latin completus, "to fill up." We use it to mean "entirely" or "wholly." So if a building is completely destroyed, no part of it is left standing. Reading a newspaper story or watching a documentary film completely means you finished it from beginning to end. And doing so can completely change your view on an issue.
Vocabulary lists containing completely
Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -ly
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Novel Study: The Hobbit, Chapters 6–9
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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.
It started with creating a show where comics could tell completely uncensored, unhinged real-life stories.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026
During this latest rebound, however, it was the opposite: What had been a slow grind lower since the S&P 500’s January peak was completely erased in the span of just a couple of weeks.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026
"The prognosis remains critical. But a chance of survival cannot be completely ruled out," Backhaus said.
From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026
"To me, it's only fair, because so many other things have already been completely discontinued. So why should this exemption exist if it's going to be damaging?" says Solomon.
From Science Daily • Apr. 16, 2026
Luckily for me, Dad is completely oblivious to the fact that I spent most of the bus ride home in tears.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
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.
