whole

American  

[hohl] / hoʊl /

adjective

1. comprising the full quantity, amount, extent, number, etc., without diminution or exception; entire, full, or total.

   He ate the whole pie. They ran the whole distance.

   Synonyms:

   complete, integral, undiminished

   Antonyms:

   partial

2. containing all the elements properly belonging; complete.

   We have a whole set of antique china.

3. undivided; in one piece.

   to swallow a thing whole.

4. Mathematics. integral, or not fractional.

5. not broken, damaged, or impaired; intact.

   Thankfully, the vase arrived whole.

   Synonyms:

   perfect, unimpaired

6. uninjured or unharmed; sound.

   He was surprised to find himself whole after the crash.

7. pertaining to all aspects of human nature, especially one's physical, intellectual, and spiritual development.

   education for the whole person.

---

noun

1. the whole assemblage of parts or elements belonging to a thing; the entire quantity, account, extent, or number.

   He accepted some of the parts but rejected the whole.

   Synonyms:

   aggregate, totality

   Antonyms:

   part

2. a thing complete in itself, or comprising all its parts or elements.

3. an assemblage of parts associated or viewed together as one thing; a unitary system.

idioms

1. as a whole, all things included or considered; altogether.

   As a whole, the relocation seems to have been beneficial.

2. on / upon the whole,

   1. in view of all the circumstances; after consideration.

      There were upsides and downsides, but on the whole I thought it best to make the trip now rather than later.

   2. disregarding exceptions; in general.

      On the whole, the neighborhood is improving.

3. out of whole cloth, without foundation in fact; fictitious.

   a story made out of whole cloth.

whole British  

/ həʊl /

adjective

1. containing all the component parts necessary to form a total; complete

   a whole apple

2. constituting the full quantity, extent, etc

3. uninjured or undamaged

4. healthy

5. having no fractional or decimal part; integral

   a whole number

6. of, relating to, or designating a relationship established by descent from the same parents; full

   whole brothers

7. informal entirely without a factual basis

---

adverb

1. in an undivided or unbroken piece

   to swallow a plum whole

noun

1. all the parts, elements, etc, of a thing

2. an assemblage of parts viewed together as a unit

3. a thing complete in itself

4. considered altogether; completely

5. 1. taking all things into consideration

   2. in general

whole More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing whole

• as a whole
• go whole hog
• on the whole
• out of whole cloth

---

Related Words

Whole, total mean the entire or complete sum or amount. The whole is all there is; every part, member, aspect; the complete sum, amount, quantity of anything, not divided; the entirety: the whole of one's property, family. Total also means whole, complete amount, or number, but conveys the idea of something added together or added up: The total of their gains amounted to millions.

Other Word Forms

• self-whole
  adjective
• wholeness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of whole

First recorded before 900; Middle English adjective and noun hole, hool, Old English adjective hāl; cognate with Dutch heel, German heil, Old Norse heill; see hale ¹, heal; spelling with w reflects dialect form

Explanation

Something that exists in its entirety is whole. If there are eight slices of pizza and you eat half, you've eaten four of them. If you eat the whole pizza, you've somehow managed to eat all eight slices. In terms of mental or physical health, whole describes someone who is healthy or uninjured. It might take you a while after a traumatic experience to feel whole again. Whole siblings are brothers and sisters who share both parents (as opposed to half siblings, who have only one parent in common). All the parts of an object taken collectively make up the whole of that object.

Example Sentences

“When you are 3 feet tall, it’s your whole field of vision,” Hildreth said.

From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026

For her, if you can reduce the amount of time you're exercising, it frees up more time for astronauts to do science and experiments "which could cause a whole range of breakthroughs."

From BBC • May 22, 2026

"The potential of this virus spreading rapidly is very high, and that changed the whole dynamic," said the WHO's emergency alert and response director Abdi Rahman Mahamud.

From Barron's • May 22, 2026

I was actually quite surprised when the people at the other end said they hadn’t contacted me and the whole thing was a scam.

From MarketWatch • May 22, 2026

And then, electrically, the whole church sat at attention.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Related Words

• full
• perfect