whole
Americanadjective
-
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
-
containing all the elements properly belonging; complete.
We have a whole set of antique china.
-
undivided; in one piece.
to swallow a thing whole.
-
Mathematics. integral, or not fractional.
-
not broken, damaged, or impaired; intact.
Thankfully, the vase arrived whole.
- Synonyms:
- perfect, unimpaired
-
uninjured or unharmed; sound.
He was surprised to find himself whole after the crash.
-
pertaining to all aspects of human nature, especially one's physical, intellectual, and spiritual development.
education for the whole person.
noun
-
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.
- Antonyms:
- part
-
a thing complete in itself, or comprising all its parts or elements.
-
an assemblage of parts associated or viewed together as one thing; a unitary system.
idioms
-
as a whole, all things included or considered; altogether.
As a whole, the relocation seems to have been beneficial.
-
on / upon the whole,
-
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.
-
disregarding exceptions; in general.
On the whole, the neighborhood is improving.
-
-
out of whole cloth, without foundation in fact; fictitious.
a story made out of whole cloth.
adjective
-
containing all the component parts necessary to form a total; complete
a whole apple
-
constituting the full quantity, extent, etc
-
uninjured or undamaged
-
healthy
-
having no fractional or decimal part; integral
a whole number
-
of, relating to, or designating a relationship established by descent from the same parents; full
whole brothers
-
informal entirely without a factual basis
adverb
noun
-
all the parts, elements, etc, of a thing
-
an assemblage of parts viewed together as a unit
-
a thing complete in itself
-
considered altogether; completely
-
-
taking all things into consideration
-
in general
-
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; hale 1, heal; spelling with w reflects dialect form
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.
Its fortunes differ sharply with France's wine industry as a whole, which is struggling with over-production, fierce competition internationally, and declining domestic consumption.
From Barron's
“The pancake was the size of the whole plate!”
From Los Angeles Times
The competitive pastime has spawned a whole industry of content creators offering weekly tips for anyone looking to gain an edge as they sift through stats and manage transfers.
From BBC
"What I'm sad about is that some people got it wrong, the whole idea of that event," said Sabalenka, speaking at the season-opening Brisbane International.
From Barron's
Flash estimates for the eurozone as a whole will be released on Wednesday.
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.
